Another potential free-agent option at kicker emerged on Thursday, and it’s a familiar one: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released veteran kicker Ryan Succop, sending him to the open market.
After an unfortunate end to his tenure in Nashville, Succop revived his career with the Bucs, winning one Super Bowl while nailing 84.8 percent of his field goals over his three seasons there.
As soon as news broke that Succop was a free agent, Titans fans and media naturally and understandably began pondering if the former “Mr. Irrelevant” could be an option for Tennessee.
After all, the Titans parted ways with Randy Bullock this offseason, leaving 2022 UDFA Caleb Shudak, who lacks experience and enough of a sample size to be confident in, as the only kicker on the roster.
While a reunion with Succop would get me right in the feels, it’s not as automatic a decision as one might think.
One of the reasons Bullock was let go was because of his lackluster leg strength, which prevented the Titans from attempting longer field goals.
Succop, who has never been known for having a big leg, would not provide a boost in that area. Over the course of his three years in Tampa Bay, Succop made just 3-of-10 50-yard field goals, including just 2-of-7 in 2022.
Adding to that, Succop could prove to be just as, if not more expensive than Bullock. The former Chiefs, Titans and Bucs kicker made an annual average of $4 million on his last deal, while Bullock made $2.3 million.
Now, this is not to say I’m totally against bringing Succop in as competition for Shudak if the Titans can’t find another big-legged kicker someplace else to compete with him.
But that’s only if Succop comes cheap and with the understanding that he isn’t promised the starting job. I don’t see that happening, as the veteran should be able to land a definite starting job for good money somewhere in 2023.
