The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed former Ute Hunter Dimick to a futures contract. After graduating in 2016, Dimick was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars as an un-drafted free agent.
Dimick then spent the 2017 offseason bouncing around the Jags practice squad, starting one game in the preseason and even switching to fullback in an effort to stay on the roster. Jacksonville cut Dimick on September 1, which is when the Bucs first gained interest in the 2016 Utah All-American. Dimick worked out for Tampa Bay in mid-September, but they ultimately passed on him. Apparently, someone on the Bucs staff didn’t forget about him. Tampa signed the 25-year-old to a futures contract Wednesday morning.
A futures contract is an increasingly popular way for NFL teams to retain rights to players they believe can make in impact in the coming season. The Buccaneers now own the rights to Hunter Dimick in the 2018/19 season, however, his contract doesn’t go into effect until mid-March. Explained by Andrew Brandt of NationalFootballPost.com, futures contracts are a great way of locking up talented young guys on the cusp of breaking out. For the most part, they’re used on players who weren’t quite good enough to justify an active roster spot this season but who teams think just might be worth an active roster spot next season.
We’re currently unaware of the details in Dimick’s deal, but futures contracts usually pay out the league minimum and have little to no signing bonus. Of the 12 players that Tampa has signed to futures contracts, just two have spent time on their active roster. Dimick will attempt to become the third this offseason.
During his time as a Ute, Dimick was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and made three major All-America teams (second team Walter Camp and FWAA; third team AP).
In 2016, Dimick’s 14.5 sacks led the Pac-12 and ranked third in the nation and his 20 tackles for loss was first in the Pac-12. A Ted Hendricks Award finalist as the country’s best defensive end, Dimick set the Utah career record for sacks (29.5), while his 44.0 career tackles for loss is tied for third in the program’s 125 year history.
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