NEW YORK — Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage will miss the entire season after rupturing his right patellar tendon in practice Wednesday.
According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Gage is scheduled to have surgery at some point this week after tearing the tendon.
#Bucs WR Russell Gage suffered a ruptured right patellar tendon and will have surgery sometime this week. He is out for the season.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 17, 2023
With Gage now out for the season, the Bucs' wide receiver depth is very thin. The Bucs have two proven starters in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but behind them is largely a group of rookie or early career players.
Tampa Bay will likely turn toward Trey Palmer to have a bigger role in the offense. Palmer scored a touchdown in the team's opening preseason game on a throw from likely starting quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The Bucs are against the salary cap and may not add any more receivers. According to the NFL Players Association, as of Thursday, the Bucs had just $404,846 in cap space.
As for Gage, the Bucs can move on from him after next season, but it will cost them upwards of $6 million against the 2024 salary cap.
