The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday announced the release of tight end Cameron Brate after nine seasons.
Tampa also announced the official release of running back Leonard Fournette, which was initially reported on Feb. 28.
Brate was first signed by the Bucs in 2014 as an undrafted free agent and has played each of his 126 career games with the club (he was briefly signed to the New Orleans Saints practice squad).
With his pre-June 1 release, Brate will save the Buccaneers $2.03 million in cap space. He signed a six-year, $40.8 million contract in 2018 with Tampa Bay.
Brate's release isn't all that surprising coming off a 2022 campaign in which teammates Cade Otton and Ko Kieft had 11 and 12 starts at tight end, respectively. Brate had just one.
The 31-year-old has been a reliable tight end throughout his time in Tampa, but battled injuries during this past season. Brate suffered a concussion in a Week 2 defeat against the Chiefs, and later sprained his neck and was stretchered off the field in the Buccaneers' Week 6 loss to the Steelers. He played in 11 games with 20 receptions for 174 yards in 2022.
During the 2020 season, the veteran tight end had 28 receptions for 282 yards to contribute to the Buccaneers winning Super Bowl LV.
Brate will now be hitting free agency with the hopes of earning a spot in another squad's tight end room.
