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This Bucs-Packers Trade for Cameron Brate Could Beef up Green Bay's Passing Attack

By Steven Kubitza

Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE Cameron Brate is likely on the trade block.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE Cameron Brate is likely on the trade block. / James Gilbert/Getty Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting the band back together, as the team has reportedly traded for Rob Gronkowski. Tom Brady heading south was apparently enough to convince the current WWE 24/7 champion to come out of retirement for another shot at a Super Bowl.

The move gives the Buccaneers a stacked tight end room featuring Gronk, OJ Howard, and Cameron Brate as the top names. Howard has shown up in some trade rumors, but Brate is now the more appealing trade option given the nature of his contract. The Bucs may want to shed money, and the Green Bay Packers are a team that should be interested in acquiring the 28-year-old tight end.

The Packers are incredibly thin at tight end given that Marcedes Lewis and Jace Sternberger are their the top two options, and the loss of Jimmy Graham frees up a spot for someone like Brate. The current Bucs tight end is under contract through the 2023 season, and the largest cap hit comes in 2023 at $7.5 million. However, he presents zero dead cap value starting in 2021 in case the Packers decide they want to move on.

Adding Gronk essentially means the Bucs have to move on from a guy like Brate. That takes away the team's leverage, and the Packers should be able to acquire him for a fourth-round pick. The team's No. 136 overall pick should convince the Bucs to move on from a player who may eat up salary without even getting the chance to earn his money on the field.

Brate made his debut with the Bucs in 2014 and his best season came back in 2016, when he finished with 660 yards and eight touchdowns. He was limited to 311 yards on only 36 receptions last season, but would be more of a focal point in the Green Bay offense.

The Packers desperately need help when it comes to pass-catchers after Davante Adams led the team with only 997 yards in 201; the departed Graham was their leading tight end with 447 yards. Brate has shown he is capable of being a reliable player when he gets the opportunity, and would beef up a passing attack that needs help if Aaron Rodgers is going to win another Super Bowl before his career is over.