The Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired guard Shaq Mason from the New England Patriots last offseason in large part to find more protection for quarterback Tom Brady.
Now that Brady has opted to retire and with the Buccaneers in a less-than-stellar cap situation, Mason’s career with the organization is likely over after one season.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Tampa Bay has put Mason on the trade block. If the 29-year-old guard is not traded, it’s likely he’ll hit the NFL free agent market after being released. Moving off the eight-year veteran would save Tampa Bay north of $5 million against the cap.
The Buccaneers’ loss would certainly be a major gain for a team in need of help along the interior of the offensive line. The former fourth-round pick from Georgia Tech has started 115 of the 120 games he’s appeared in since entering the NFL back in 2015.
This past season saw Shaq Mason start all 17 games at guard for Tampa Bay. Pro Football Focus graded him out as the 19th-best guard in the NFL last season. He’s starter-caliber. He doesn’t come with a huge financial risk. There’s going to be a ton of interest. Here, we look at three ideal landing spots.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL trade rumors
Las Vegas Raiders land Shaq Mason
It’s not a surprise that we’re hearing the Raiders being linked to former New England Patriots players. In this particular scenario, head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler have a built-in relationship with Mason dating back to their days in New England. Ziegler was actually part of a Patriots front office that drafted Mason back in 2015.
Regardless of who is under center in Vegas, this team needs better offensive line play. Dylan Parham saw a lot of action as a rookie at guard last season. Both Alex Bars and Hroniss Grasu are set to hit free agency. This just makes too much sense.
Related: Sportsnaut’s top 400 NFL free agents of 2023
New York Giants get more offensive line help
New York’s decision to re-sign quarterback Daniel Jones on a four-year, $160 million contract made it clear that it is content building around him. With running back Saquon Barkley also returning, finding an upgrade has to be in the cards here.
Mason would come in and start at left guard next to Andrew Thomas, creating a solid run-blocking tandem on that side of the offensive line. From a Giants perspective, Mason’s $7.5 million salary for an acquiring team would be cheap considering how the NFL free agent market is expected to play out at this position after Chris Lindstrom signed a record-breaking deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
Related: NFL free agent tracker with grades
Chicago Bears add Shaq Mason
It’s pretty clear that Chicago is going all in to help young quarterback Justin Fields succeed. The team’s decision to trade the No. 1 pick for a package including Pro Bowl wide receiver D.J. Moore is just the latest example of this.
Fields was sacked a resounding 55 times last season. His sack rate of 14.7% was astronomical. While Chicago is focusing on offensive tackle help, acquiring a veteran guard would make sense. Shaq Mason would slot in as its starting right tackle in front of Teven Jenkins.