9:05 pm: The signing of Ward was confirmed by Adam Schefter.

8:50 pm: Despite having a boatload of cash to spend, Tampa Bay had been unable to land any of the big fish this off-season, settling instead for a trade to acquire TE Kellen Winslow, who’s better known for his tantrums off the field, than his play on it.

All that ended tonight, after the Bucs struck a deal with RB Derrick Ward, paying him $17 million over the next four seasons. Pro Football Talk was the first to report the deal.

Ward will come to a Tampa Bay squad that has been beset by injuries at the running back position over the past few seasons, watching while a former top draft pick in Cadillac Williams suffered back to back devestating knee injuries.

Ward was considering offers from Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and his former team, the New York Giants.

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