The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agree to terms with No. 7 overall draft pick Mark Barron, NFL Network's Michael Lombardi reported Friday, citing a source with knowledge of the situation. According to Lombardi, the fully guaranteed deal is worth $14.5 million over four years, with no offset language.
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The Buccaneers confirmed Friday evening that Barron had signed the contract.
Barron's agent, Jimmy Sexton, was on record this month expecting a $9 million signing bonus.
Thanks to the rookie slotting system, there's essentially no drama to the math behind Barron's contract. Last year's seventh overall pick, linebacker Aldon Smith, signed a four-year, $14.384 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers, which came with a $8.96 million signing bonus.
Barron was absent Wednesday as Bucs rookies gathered for off-field instruction before training camp, but he was never expected to hold out. With Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III signing their deals this week, the rest of the first round won't take long.
Barron, the former Alabama standout, gives Tampa Bay a smart, versatile safety who can stop the run. As coach Greg Schiano's first pick, he will start immediately for a defense that crumbled down the stretch in 2011.
