Connor Barth showed up on Tuesday to hang out with the guys, the kicker wasn’t at One Buc Place because he had inked a new long-term deal as the kicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barth has been about the only player absent from the club’s offseason workouts under new coach Greg Schiano and it’s because he was designated with the franchise tag after making 26 of his 28 field-goal attempts last season. Is it a potential sign Barth and the club are working happily toward a deal? “I think that's what we both want,†Bucs general manager Mark Dominik said, according to Stephen Holder of the Tampa Times. “We're talking about one of the youngest kickers to hit free agency (he's 26). … He's been a consistent guy. I understand where his agent's coming from. We just had a good talk. That's what makes Connor great. He's a good teammate. “He came here today just to be around the guys,†Dominik said. “I don't think there are many franchise guys who have ever done that.†Two months remain for Barth and the team to carve out a multi-year deal, otherwise, he will be reporting to training camp under the tag. That would mean a salary of $2.645 million in 2012, not bad for a kicker. Source: National Football Post
