Bucs hope to sign Barth before free agency

With a 92.9 percent success rate on field goals, which ranked second in the NFL, kicker Connor Barth arguably was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' most consistent performer last season.

General manager Mark Dominik has no intentions of losing that model of consistency.

Though Barth, 25, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent March 13, Dominik said Saturday he will not allow Barth to reach the open market, even if it means placing the franchise tag on him.

"He's not going to be an unrestricted free agent, and we'll just have to figure out where that takes us," Dominik said at a break at the NFL scouting combine.

If the Bucs use the franchise tag on Barth, it would ensure he remains in Tampa Bay for 2012 at a salary of $2.6 million.

Dominik is hoping, however, that contract talks he has had with Barth's agent will escalate and result in a new deal that would alleviate the need to use the tag, which must be applied no later than March 5.

"We are having discussions," Dominik said. "We obviously like Connor Barth a lot. He's done a good job for us since he's been a Buccaneer. We think so much of him that we're not going to let him be unrestricted."

Barth, who made $1.835 million last year, came to the Bucs on Nov. 3, 2009, as a free agent, and he made an immediate impact when he tied an NFL record by kicking three field goals of 50 yards or longer in a loss to the Dolphins on Nov. 15.

Since then, Barth has made 59 of 70 field goals, including 49 of 56 the past two seasons for an 87.5 percent success rate, which established him as one of the league's more consistent kickers.

Barth did not kick off last year, when the Bucs left that duty to free agent punter Michael Koenen, but Dominik thinks Barth is worth the price he'd pay by tagging him.

Barth, who came into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs in 2008, could not be reached for comment. His agent, Robert Roche, did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Barth is one of two potential unrestricted free agents the Bucs are working diligently to keep off the market, Dominik said.

The other is left guard/center Jeremy Zuttah.

Dominik has no plans to use the franchise tag or the transition tag on Zuttah, but he is hopeful he can get a deal done to retain him before the signing period begins.

Dominik echoed comments a week ago by Zuttah's agent, Noel LaMontagne, who said the Bucs have expressed a strong interest in retaining Zuttah, while Zuttah's desire is to stay in Tampa.

"We're going to try to get into some good discussions here, (because) Zuttah brings value to us," Dominik said. "His versatility is a big piece of that, knowing he can be outside at guard or inside at center."

Zuttah, who played for new Bucs coach Greg Schiano at Rutgers, was Tampa Bay's third-round selection in the 2008 draft. He has started 40 of the 54 games he has played, including 14 starts at left guard last season.

Dominik also hopes to quickly reach a conclusion regarding cornerback Ronde Barber's future, and he is hopeful he can keep Barber off the market should the two agree to stay together in 2012.

"Like coach Schiano said (Thursday), the plan right now is to sit down with Ronde Barber and really talk about what Schiano's vision is for this football team and make sure that's understood by everybody," Dominik said.

Barber, 36, just completed his 15th NFL season and is contemplating retirement or the possibility the Bucs won't ask him back for another season. He is the only player in NFL history to record at least 40 interceptions and 25 sacks, and he started all 16 games at right corner last season.