Kellen Winslow Jr. missed 36 of the 80 games Cleveland played while he was on the team. He shredded his knee in a motorcycle accident, missing the entire 2005 season.

He was suspended once this past season for conduct detrimental to the team when he spouted off to the media about the Browns’ issues with staph infection, after having been shushed by the public relations staff.

He has two 80-plus catch seasons and one 1,000-yard season out of five, but has caught just 11 touchdowns and has done nothing – nothing at all – to resemble the player the Browns thought they were getting when they drafted him sixth overall in 2004.

So, what does Tampa Bay do? They give up a 2nd round pick in 2009 and a 5th in 2010 in February to acquire him – and then this week sign him six-year, $36 million contract with $20 million guaranteed.

There are few tight ends I’d consider giving that kind of money. Jason Witten in Dallas is probably worth it. Antonio Gates has been the best in the game for most of the last half-decade. Tony Gonzalez was probably worth it at one point during his career.

But Kellen Winslow?

Sorry. This guy has a ton of talent, but he’s been a far bigger talker than producer in the NFL so far. And sure, he’s heading back to Florida where he played for the Miami Hurricanes in college. But it says here that the guy who once claimed during an interview in college to be a soldier should have had to produce on the field for a season or two before the Bucs should have thought about giving him the money they just threw him.

So, how does he thank the Bucs for their inexplicable generosity? Well, he showed up for minicamp, according to TheLedger.com. But he showed up late and didn’t participate, at least in the morning session.

No official word was given as to why.

Good luck, Bucs, with that investment. My guess? You’ll quickly find out why the Browns were willing to give him up.