It looked like safety Ryan Neal would be remaining in Seattle this offseason, but late March brought a change of plans.
Neal had been tendered as a restricted free agent by the Seahawks early in the offseason and there was no word of an outside offer that would pry him away from the NFC West team. The Seahawks wound up shifting gears after signing Julian Love, however, and they rescinded Neal’s tender a week ago.
The Buccaneers signed Neal to a one-year deal for less than he stood to make under the terms of the tender, but Neal said on Thursday that there are no hard feelings about how things have played out.
“I’ve got nothing but love for [the Seahawks] over there,” Neal said, via the Buccaneers website. “Sometimes you just may not be part of the future plans and that’s just the way the business goes. Like I said, I’m glad to be here — the opportunity to come here, you couldn’t say no to it. It’s a blessing to be here and all I plan on doing is bringing my piece to the table and trying to find a way to enhance this team, this defense — whatever I’m asked to do, just find a way to make it better. I’m excited to be here and glad to do that.”
Neal had his first extended run as a starter last season and is set for another one with Tampa, so the 2024 offseason could turn out to be a more fruitful one for him.
