Buccaneers RT Demar Dotson To End Holdout In Hope Of Securing New Extension

Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Tribune reports that contract negotiations between the Buccaneers and OT Demar Dotson were nearly complete, but wound up stalling due to a team policy that prohibits the negotiation of contracts with players who are not attending workouts.

• Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reported earlier in the week that the Buccaneers withdrew their multi-year extension offer to Dotson, due to his two-week absence from voluntary OTAs over a contract dispute.

Mark Cook of the PewterReport.com is reporting that Dotson has had “a change of heart” regarding his holdout and will now be in attendance for the team’s mandatory mini-camp on Monday.

Cook’s sources mentioned that Tampa Bay had made him a contract offer that would have put him in the Top 10 for right tackles in terms of salary.

Dotson, 29, still has two years remaining on his four-year, $7.5 million contract that included $2 million guaranteed. He stands to make base salaries of $1.5 million and $1.75 million over the next two years. He signed a three-year extension back in 2013, and will make just $2.5 million this season.

In 2014, Dotson appeared in all 16 games for the Buccaneers and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 28 offensive tackle out of 84 qualifying players. Being a starting offensive tackle, his $1.5 million base salary means that he is a highly underpaid player, so it’s easy to see why he is demanding a lucrative raise.