Cameron Brate
Cameron Brate will be sticking around in Tampa Bay for a long time to come after signing a new contract with the Bucs (Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports)

Did Cameron Brate just sign a 6-year deal? As ridiculous as that sounds, it actually came to fruition. Brate will sign a lofty new contract extension worth $41 million. 18 million of the new contract will come as guaranteed money. The signing comes as an odd one considering Brate was scheduled to hit restricted free agency.

Jenna Laine of ESPN had the following about the news:

“Source tells me that the Bucs and tight end Cameron Brate have agreed to a new deal for six years, $41 million, $18 million in guarantees, per a league source.”

The move is so curious because O.J. Howard was just taken in the first round during the 2017 NFL Draft. While Howard is a complete tight end who can catch and block, Brate is a one trick pony who’s main skill set is catching the football. Despite being an undrafted free agent from Harvard, Brate has been super productive. Over the past two years, Brate has caught 14 touchdowns and over 1,300 receiving yards. It’s curious to wonder how high the organization is on the former big-time tight end prospect from Alabama, especially after an up and down rookie season. If Howard is nothing more than an overhyped blocking tight end, then the deal makes a lot of sense.

His new deal worth $6.8 million-per-year salary is a fair deal but it’s tough to see him finishing out a long six-year deal. Brate, 27, will finish the contract by the time he is 34 years old. Then again, Brate earned just 690 thousand is 2017 so it’s a great day for him. Tampa Bay also has a ton of cap room left so it’s sort of a low-risk signing in the short term.