Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Donald Penn Failed “Most” Weight Clauses in Contract

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are entering a crucial season in terms of where the direction of the team will go. We thought the tone was being set when rookie head coach Greg Schiano came in and started playing by his own rules but we know now that the 2013 season will be of the make or break variety for many of the player currently on roster.

One of those guys is longtime offensive tackle Donald Penn, who according to Pewter Report, has failed “most” of the weight clauses currently embedded in his $41.7 million contract that still has about $22 million left on it.

Per Mark Cook of Pewter Report:

"Penn loves playing for the Buccaneers and is one of those locker room guys that coaches love to have, but also has an occasional lazy streak and has failed to meet most of the weight clauses in his most recent contract, which also drives management crazy."

While Penn has had a few good moments with the Buccaneers, he’s never had a standout one. Sure, he’s started 92 games for the Buccaneers recently but he’s a pillow on the left end of the line and while he doesn’t allow many sacks, he doesn’t play at a $41 million level and he’s clearly nowhere near that at the moment.

Penn is one of many Bucs players on the firing line at the moment as he’ll need a pretty amazing 2013 season to prove his worth. Demar Dotson filled in at right tackle last season and proved he was capable of holding his own. He very well could challenge Penn this summer for the left tackle job and he very well could win it.

Left tackle is a high profile, high salary position but Penn meets only one requirement — he’s paid a lot. But he does very little and it he remains out of shape the way he reportedly is and has been, Tampa Bay won’t keep him solely because he’s a locker room guy. The janitor can do that for the organization and he’s paid considerably less.