Bucs sign Stevens, release Gradkowski

The Bucs, looking for players capable of providing an offensive spark, have re-signed tight end Jerramy Stevens and parted ways with quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.

The move to re-sign Stevens was not a complete surprise, but the release of Gradkowski is the team's first effort to whittle down its stable of quarterbacks, which now stands at six including the retired Jake Plummer, whose rights the team still own.

The team could elect to go to training camp with the five active quarterbacks remaining with the team: Jeff Garcia, Brian Griese, Luke McCown, rookie Josh Johnson and Chris Simms, who has been boycotting voluntary offseason workouts. General manager Bruce Allen has said the team planned to take no more than five quarterbacks to Disney when camp begins in July.

Gradkowski had a rocky stint with the Bucs since being drafted in the sixth round in 2006. He started 11 games in place of the injured Simms as a rookie in 2006, finishing 3-8 in those contests. Gradkowski must now clear waivers before he becomes a free agent because he is a player with less than four years of experience.

Stevens, meanwhile, emerged late last season as a important option in the passing game, as coach Jon Gruden made a concerted effort to feature the 6-7 veteran. His addition might be the biggest indication yet the Bucs aren't thrilled with their three top tight ends: Alex Smith, John Gilmore and Ben Troupe and are hoping to increase the level of competition in the unit.

Stevens served a one-game suspension last season for a DUI conviction in Arizona stemming from an arrest in March 2007.

Comments

[Michelle]

Stevens doesn't get and never will. Neither, apparently, will current Buc's mgmt. & owners. Anyone who took the time to read the Seattle Times article would see a child completely out of control, completely unaccountable for his actions, and continuously placing the lives of others in jeopardy. All the while, with someone there to make excuses for him. A little baby in a man's body. Thank God he doesn't live next door to me.

[Sklar]

Let's all make sure we see how well Stevens plays this year so that DR can eat crow again. Last year I stated how good Graham was going to do based on his past and DR basically said the same thing about him. You wouldn't know talent if it slapped you in the face DR (although it probably does with your job - towel boy!)

[DR]

Skylar, you make no sense, and quit riding on Kurt's back. Kurt was the only one who said anything positive about EG. I took my statements back after EG did prove himself. At what point in his dismal career has Stevens proven he is anything but an average TE at best?
Personally, i hope Stevens gets blasted and has to live in a wheelchair the rest of his life. That would be minor retribution for the horrible disgusting things that he has gotten away with.

[Mike]

...after reading that Seattle article on Stevens, I can NEVER cheer for him...that story makes me sick...

[billy]

jerramy stevens is about as poor of a human as you can get rapping an 18 year old virgin.i hope the bucs loose every game as long as hes on the team.

[Kurt]

I just wanna make sure I got this right: It's OK to elect a President/VP with a blighted past but an atrocity to allow someone with a checkered past to catch balls on Sundays. I'm baffled at how far we have fallen as a society. Maybe we should shut the NFL down and start concerning ourselves with bigger things.

[DR]

Kurt, your comparison of football and politics is baffling. Are we supposed to pity a man who has had an easy ride playing a kids game? Should we allow a buffoon like Stevens to take the spot of an honest hard worker? The Bucs would do just fine without Stevens on the roster. His record speaks for itself. He's a chump who is an overrated TE.
I agree that our government is a joke. Nothing like having sex offenders, crack addicts, drunks who are self serving before anything else run our country. We should, like fans in a packed house, come together and start ousting these losers who deceive honest people into believing they are qualified to hold the postions they do. But we don't do that. We need to.

[Tom]

If Stevens actions have been so terrible, why hasn't the league banned him? If not, why should the Bucs?

None of us knows all of the merits of the case. Only Stevens and the young lady knows the real truth. The case never went to court. She did settle out of court for $300,000. I always question victims when they can be appeased by money. If that was my daughter, no money in the world could stop me from wanting him castrated.

[DR]

It's one thing when your fighting an individual and a lawyer, it's another thing when your fighting a biased DA, prosecutor, school officials and a whole system of corruption. In most states, once evidence has been gathered, the victim has no control over who gets prosecuted or not. If Stevens was innocent of this and felt he was being wrongly accused, there would have been no pay out. There is no payment if nothing was done.

[Steve L]

As I said in another posting:

I don't mean to sound cynical, but it seems as if the alleged crime were the true onus of the allegations made, nothing short of a guilty conviction would have sufficed for the victim. Evidence was plentiful apparently. Instead we have a tidy settlement. I think that says as much about the alleged victim as it does about the alleged perpetrator.

Stevens is most certainly no choirboy, but he’s been clean since his arrival so I’m not sure why criticism are now being made a year after his signing. Romano’s column was short sighted and ill advised (regardless of how Steven’s turns out). Revisionist history is the easiest type of prognostication there is. In terms of NFL thugs, sadly Steven’s is probably near the middle of the pack. As an earlier Blogger noted, Ray Lewis is still deified as are many other “reformed” athletes. Let’s move on and get this season started. Everything else will work itself out.

DR: as for Steven’s stats, he has nearly as many receptions and quite a few more TD’s than Alex Smith and Ben Troupe combined. That said, and based on your other eye rolling posting I’m afraid you may be afflicted with what Borat referred to as…retardation.

[UNDECIDED]

Its just so sad that the bucs have to resort to such a low class person to try and pull out a good season this year. as for the comment by Gerardo. the reason he was never convite is b/c UW took care of it. Just type in Jerramys name and the first link is to the story by the seatle times about all the trouble jerramy has been in. and is still in!! as for the other comment about where he lives. if you live in westshore yatch club you better watch out or move fast!!!