The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will pay kicker Connor Barth $500,000 this season after placing him on the reserve/non-football injury list.
Bucs general manager Mark Dominik announced the agreement Wednesday, telling reporters "it was the right thing to do" after Barth tore his right Achilles tendon in a charity basketball game before training camp began in July. Barth, who has spent five seasons in the league, was set to earn $2.3 million this season before sustaining the injury July 12 in Wilmington, N.C.
The Bucs were not obligated to pay any of Barth's salary this season. They signed him to a four-year, $13.2 million deal ($4 million guaranteed) after the 2011 season.
Barth's contract for the 2014 season was restructured to give the franchise protection in case Barth cannot make a successful, sustained return. His contract for 2015 remains unchanged.
Barth, 27, has spent four of his five NFL seasons with the Bucs. He has a field-goal success rate of 84.2 percent with a career-long conversion of 57 yards, set last year.
Tampa Bay signed 13-year veteran kicker Rian Lindell, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, on Aug. 21 as a possible replacement for Barth. Lindell is 1 for 2 this season, his lone miss coming on a 47-yard attempt that sailed wide left late in the fourth quarter of a loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
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