NFL Rumors: Buccaneers not expected to pick up Adrian Clayborn’s option

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a very busy offseason, most notably signing free agent defensive end Michael Johnson away from the Cincinnati Bengals, trading wide receiver Mike Williams to the Buffalo Bills and releasing cornerback Darrelle Revis, who signed with the New England Patriots.

The Buccaneers may be close to making a decision on the future of defensive end Adrian Clayborn.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Buccaneers are not expected to pick up Clayborn’s option, meaning he will become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

"While the Bucs likely won’t pick up Clayborn’s option, the source says they also have no intention of trading him to a team that perhaps would want to exercise the option.  Or to trade him at any point after the May 3 deadline for picking up the option.Thus, if Clayborn stays in Tampa beyond 2014, it’ll happen under a contract that isn’t driven by a first-year salary of $6.9 million, which is the amount of the option the Bucs likely won’t be exercising."

Clayborn, the Buccaneers’ first round pick (20th overall) in the 2011 Draft, had 64 tackles and 5.5 sacks for the Buccaneers last season.