Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

Bucs Do Not Plan To Pay Jordan Whitehead’s Roster Bonus; Door Open For Return

Todd Bowles mentioned a potential position switch for Tykee Smith; the Buccaneers’ 2024 nickel could move to safety. That would stand to conflict with Jordan Whitehead‘s role, but the Bucs may end up separating from a player they brought back in 2024.

Tampa Bay will not exercise Whitehead’s roster bonus, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. That will make him a free agent two weeks from today. The door is open to another deal — which would be a third Bucs-Whitehead pact — but GM Jason Licht mentioned (via Garafolo) the team will need to see how the veteran safety recovers from injury.

Whitehead, who signed a two-year deal worth $9MM to return to Tampa in 2024, missed five of the Bucs’ final six games last season. It would stand to reason the Bucs would want him back at a lower rate — if a return will be seriously considered. Whitehead is only due a $750K roster bonus on Day 5 of the league year. The Bucs not being prepared to pick that up would stand to diminish the chances the seven-year veteran comes back. Whitehead was due a $3.75MM base salary in 2025.

A November setback halted Whitehead’s run alongside Antoine Winfield Jr. A pectoral injury led Whitehead to IR, but he ran into more trouble upon returning. Whitehead had made it back in time for the Bucs’ Week 17 game, but injuries sustained in a car accident led him to the NFI list, where he remained to close out the season. Whitehead, 28 in March, still has some work to do to rehab those injuries. Licht expressed fondness for the player he once chose in the 2018 fourth round, but the Bucs will protect themselves in the meantime.

Among a wave of Bucs DBs chosen in the draft from 2018-20, Whitehead started 12 games for the team last season. Whitehead has started 101 career games; 67 of those have come with the Bucs. The Jets signed Whitehead to a two-year, $14MM deal in 2022; Licht said he regretted letting the former Super Bowl LV starter leave. Although the veteran GM rectified that by signing off on a reunion last year, Pro Football Focus ranked Whitehead 72nd among safety regulars in 2024.

A Smith move to safety could lead Christian Izien back to a full-time slot role. Whitehead will likely remain on the Bucs’ radar, but it could be a bit before the team strongly considers a third contract due to how his season ended. Whitehead’s crash occurred on his way to the Bucs’ facility before their regular-season finale. The Pitt product had never previously missed more than three games in a season.

Bucs GM: Team Aims To Keep Chris Godwin

While no player has been franchise-tagged three times since the 2006 CBA made such a move prohibitive, the Buccaneers would still like to keep Chris Godwin off the free agent market.

The Bucs, who have also done very well to convince core players to re-sign once they become free agents, remain interested in re-signing Godwin. Jason Licht confirmed this previously rumored stance, indicating that the Bucs still view their accomplished WR2 highly despite another major injury — this one a dislocated ankle.

Hopefully, we can come to an agreement with him because Chris means the world to this organization, to all of us individually but as an organization as a whole,” Licht said, via ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine. “Nobody has been more resilient than him. We’ve been down this road, a similar path, with him. Nobody has been more resilient and works harder than him. So those are the good things. If I were a betting man, I’d bet on Chris. But the facts are we have to wade through some variables here.”

Licht alluding to variables makes sense. The Bucs re-signed Mike Evans in 2024, though he is already back in a contract year, and saw third-round pick Jalen McMillan progress down the stretch. Another Godwin deal could interfere with McMillan’s development, and another contract for the team’s longtime Evans sidekick would significantly increase the franchise’s allocation at wide receiver.

The Bucs have a history in prioritizing Godwin despite an injury. They applied a second franchise tag on the 2017 third-round pick in 2022, after he had suffered ACL and MCL tears the previous December, and then gave him a three-year, $60MM extension. Godwin returned on time and has since posted two more 1,000-yard seasons. Betting on Godwin once again falls in line with the Bucs’ M.O., which has involved retaining core players. They were able to keep Evans off the market last year, even as a Tee Higgins franchise tag would have driven up his value. Higgins is expected to be tagged again, and it would stand to reason Godwin would want to gauge his free agency value for the first time.

As could be expected, the Bucs will not re-tag Godwin, Laine adds. Even if Godwin reaches the legal tampering period unsigned, the Bucs have shown they can retain talent. They re-signed Shaq Barrett after he was free to speak to other teams in 2021, and they did the same with Carlton Davis (2022) and Jamel Dean (2023). The team did not let Baker Mayfield hit free agency, signing him a day before last year’s legal tampering period. Tampa Bay has until 11am CT on March 10 to negotiate exclusively with Godwin, a four-time 1,000-yard receiver and the second-leading pass catcher in franchise history.

The Bucs already moved Godwin’s void date back, with Laine confirming it was delayed from Feb. 17 to March 12. This is something they did not do for Evans, who counted as both an active contract and dead money on the team’s 2024 payroll. Sliding the void date back will allow the team more time to re-sign Godwin, as a re-up before that point would keep void years-driven dead money off the Bucs’ cap sheet. The team has already seen edge rusher Anthony Nelson‘s deal void, per Fox Sports’ Greg Auman; this will create $2.65MM in dead money for the team in 2025.

Elsewhere on the Bucs’ roster, they are planning to allow slot cornerback Tykee Smith compete for a starting safety job. Todd Bowles said (via the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud) the 2024 third-round pick, who has primarily operated as the Bucs’ nickel performer, will vie for a starting safety job. That would allow for more Smith playing time, but it would also give the Bucs work to do in the slot again.

Jordan Whitehead primarily worked as Antoine Winfield Jr.‘s wingman at safety last season, though the two-time Buccaneer missed five games. Whitehead’s second Bucs contract runs through the 2025 season. Christian Izien, who has played a few roles (including safety) for the team during his two-year career, would be a candidate to return to the slot if Smith’s safety push sticks, Stroud adds. Izien worked regularly in the slot in 2023.

S Keanu Neal Retires

Keanu Neal did not play in 2024, and he will not make a return next season. The veteran safety announced his retirement on Sunday.

“20 years ago, I started this journey,” Neal’s announcement reads in part. “Today, I am retiring from the NFL… I am incredibly grateful for the coaches and teammates I had the privilege of working with along the way… All the lessons learned through the game has helped mold me into who I am today.”

A first-round pick of the Falcons in 2016, Neal entered the league with high expectations. He had a strong start to his Atlanta tenure, recording 100-plus tackles in each of his first two seasons and earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2017. Neal’s first playoff run saw him make 30 tackles en route to a Super Bowl appearance.

Across the 2018 and ’19 campaigns, however, the Florida product played a combined total of only four games. Neal returned to full health during his final Falcons campaign, but he was unable to land a notable commitment from any suitor during his free agent spells. A one-year Cowboys contract (which saw him spend time at middle linebacker) was followed by a return to the NFC South in 2022 with Tampa Bay.

After serving as a part-time Buccaneers starter, Neal inked a two-year free agent pact with the Steelers. Early in his Pittsburgh tenure, he served as a key member of the secondary with eight starts, 50 tackles and an interception. A ribs injury ended Neal’s campaign, though, and he was released last March. After failing to land a deal on the open market in 2024, he will turn his attention to his post-playing days.

In all, the 29-year-old made 94 combined regular and postseason appearances during his time in the NFL, starting 74 of them. Thanks in large part to the size of his rookie pact, Neal amassed roughly $25.5MM in career earnings.

NFL, Owners To Discuss 2028 Olympic Participation In March

March will bring about the franchise tag deadline and, shortly thereafter, the start of the new league year. The next league meeting is also upcoming, and it will provide the NFL and its owners the opportunity to discuss the potential of participating in flag football during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Shortly after it was confirmed flag football will make its Olympic debut in 2028, it was confirmed to no surprise that the NFL and NFLPA opened discussions about the possibility of NFL players taking part. Further developments on that front could be coming soon. The league is set to make a full presentation about Olympic participation during the March meeting, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports.

A vote could take place in the near future as a result, but that would come as a surprise. A number of issues related to finances, logistics and insurance will need to be sorted out if any agreement is to be reached allowing NFL players to take part. Nothing in the current CBA covers international competitions, so an amendment would need to be added relating to the 2028 Olympics and future games. As Jones notes, the NFL has a “strong desire” to make flag football a permanent Olympic event beyond the Los Angeles debut. High-profile players such as Tyreek Hill have previously expressed interest in taking part, and he is not alone in that respect.

“Most likely I’ll be retired by 2028,” Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans said (via ESPN’s Jenna Laine). “I don’t know. But if I am retired, I would definitely like to play in the Olympics.”

In other flag-related news, commissioner Roger Goodell said in advance of the Super Bowl that the creation of a professional flag football league is under consideration. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports work is already underway on that front, which should should not come as a shock. The NFL has made a highly public effort in recent years to promote and develop flag football at the youth level in particular, so establishing a pro league represents a logical next step.

The league’s international calendar has expanded recently and regular season games played abroad is set to become an increasingly frequent staple of the league moving forward. Pairing a growing presence abroad with Olympic participation is something the NFL and NFLPA would welcome, and it will be interesting to see if progress toward that goal will be reached in the near future.

Buccaneers Announce Finalized 2025 Coaching Staff

With former offensive coordinator Liam Coen departing for his first head coaching role in Jacksonville, there was bound to be some changes along the Buccaneers coaching staff. Todd Bowles and company announced all their planned changes for the staff yesterday, and we’ll break them down here.

We already knew that, with Coen out, Josh Grizzard was promoted to offensive coordinator. Hiring an internal candidate into the role allowed Tampa Bay to retain several assistants, as well. After being interviewed for the offensive coordinator job in Houston that went to Nick Caley, quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis was retained to his position, as were running backs coach Skip Peete, wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon, tight ends coach Justin Peelle, and offensive consultant Tom Moore. We’ve also already reported on the hiring of Kefense Hynson to fill Grizzard’s role as pass game coordinator and the promotion of Brian Picucci from assistant offensive line coach to offensive line coach.

The unreported changes to the staff see Jordan Somerville, who has served as assistant quarterbacks coach for the team, add the role of pass game specialist to his existing responsibilities. Additionally, former offensive quality control coach Jeff Kastl has been promoted to assistant tight ends coach. Lastly on offense, we had reported initially that former offensive line coach Kevin Carberry had added the assistant head coach title to his duties, but the team’s announcement grants him the additional title of run game coordinator instead.

On defense, where Bowles acts as a sort of de facto coordinator, only a few changes were necessary. Cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross, safeties coach Nick Rapone, assistant secondary coach Tim Atkins, and defensive quality control coach Joey Fitzgerald all return to their same roles for 2025, and we’ve already reported on the addition of Charlie Strong as defensive line coach, replacing Kacy Rodgers who departed for the same role in Detroit. We also reported that former pass game coordinator/inside linebackers coach Larry Foote would be retained after interviewing for the Lions defensive coordinator job that went to internal candidate Kelvin Sheppard in Detroit, but today’s announcement tells us that both titles have changed for Foote as he will now serve as run game coordinator/outside linebackers coach.

With Foote taking outside linebacker duties, former outside linebackers coach George Edwards will now serve as pass game coordinator after being mentioned as a defensive coordinator candidate in New Orleans. Taking Foote’s inside linebackers coaching role will be Mike Caldwell, who was hired for the job after not being retained by the Raiders this offseason. Lastly on defense, Rashad Johnson, the former NFL safety who served as defensive assistant last year, has been promoted to serve alongside Atkins as assistant secondary coach.

No changes were required on special teams, where Thomas McGaughey and Keith Tandy return as special teams coordinator and defensive/special teams assistant, respectively.

That will be the 2025 coaching staff for the Buccaneers. Bowles and Grizzard did a good job retaining a decent number of staffers, utilizing a few promotions where necessary, and filled out the holes effectively. They’ll hope to bring back similar success to take them to the postseason for the sixth season in a row.

Buccaneers, WR Chris Godwin Agree To Delayed Void Date

As we’ve seen Minnesota do in recent days with players heading to free agency like running back Aaron Jones and cornerback Byron Murphy, the Buccaneers have come to an agreement with wide receiver Chris Godwin to move his contract void date, per Greg Auman of FOX Sports. With what’s becoming a popular negotiation strategy, Tampa Bay is following the Vikings early lead this offseason.

The Vikings have utilized this strategy to give themselves a bit more time in negotiating with veterans with expiring contracts. When those veterans have void years on the end of their expiring deals, the amount from those years officially hits the future cap as dead money at a deadline that was designated to occur this week.

Delaying the deadline provides benefits for parties. First, it grants the team more time to communicate and work towards an extension with their pending free agents. Second, it decreases the likelihood that a player will receive a franchise tag, since the deadline to announce the franchised players falls before the void deadline.

With Godwin, his impending void deadline was set to trigger $18MM in dead money against the team’s 2025 salary cap. Instead, the veteran wideout and team will have until the final day of the league year to figure out a new extension and avoid that dead money hit.

Buccaneers Aim To Re-Sign Chris Godwin

Chris Godwin has played on the franchise tag once in his career, and receiving the tag the second time around was followed by a three-year deal. The veteran wideout is on track for free agency, but another Buccaneers agreement would come as no surprise.

Executives around the league expect Godwin to once again re-sign in Tampa Bay. Adding further to that sentiment, ESPN’s Jenna Laine writes the team will “do what it takes” to keep the former Pro Bowler in Tampa Bay. Godwin was limited to seven games in 2024 by an ankle injury, but he would be counted on as a key member of the team’s passing attack in the event he were to sign another Bucs contract.

Approaching his 29th birthday, Godwin has surpassed 1,000 yards four times in his career. Across his eight years in Tampa Bay, he has proven to be a highly effective complement to Mike Evans by providing consistent production in the slot in particular. Prior to his injury this past season, Godwin was averaging just over 82 receiving yards per game, the second-highest total of his career. Keeping him in place would be a sensible move from the team’s perspective as yet another coordinator change is implemented in 2025.

“I love Chris,” new OC Josh Grizzard said (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). “And you guys know Chris is as good of a human being and football player as you’re going to be around. He was a huge asset to us last year, being a coach on the field and playing all those different roles.”

Grizzard was promoted from pass-game coordinator to his current title in the wake of Liam Coen‘s departure. He will look to continue the success that Bucs had on offense in 2024, and continuing to lean on the Evans-Godwin tandem would be a reasonable path to take on that front. Tampa Bay did, on the other hand, invest a third-round pick in Jalen McMillan last spring and he logged a 70% snap share as a rookie. Still, if Grizzard and the team have their way, Godwin will again be in the fold for 2025.

The pending free agent class at the receiver spot is headlined by Tee Higgins, but after that a number of veterans with injury histories of questions about declining play are set to reach the market. Godwin’s ACL tear coupled with the ankle injury which sidelined him last year could hinder his earning power, and a similar deal to the three-year, $60MM one he signed in 2022 may not be attainable at this point in his career. With Evans on the books for 2025, though, a short-term accord keeping Godwin in place can be expected.

2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.

Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):

  1. New England Patriots: $119.8MM
  2. Las Vegas Raiders: $92.53MM
  3. Washington Commanders: $75.21MM
  4. Arizona Cardinals: $71.33MM
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: $63.41MM
  6. Chicago Bears: $62.97MM
  7. Minnesota Vikings: $58.01MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $53.26MM
  9. Cincinnati Bengals: $46.26MM
  10. Detroit Lions: $45.69MM
  11. San Francisco 49ers: $44.26MM
  12. Tennessee Titans: $44.08MM
  13. New York Giants: $43.38MM
  14. Green Bay Packers: $42.14MM
  15. Los Angeles Rams: $38.33MM
  16. Denver Broncos: $34.78MM
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars: $32.27MM
  18. Indianapolis Colts: $28.25MM
  19. Carolina Panthers: $20.33MM
  20. Philadelphia Eagles: $18.08MM
  21. New York Jets: $16.86MM
  22. Baltimore Ravens: $5.96MM
  23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $2.24MM
  24. Houston Texans: $99K over the cap
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: $916K over
  26. Dallas Cowboys: $2.85MM over
  27. Miami Dolphins: $5.44MM over
  28. Atlanta Falcons: $11.15MM over
  29. Seattle Seahawks: $13.46MM over
  30. Buffalo Bills: $14.18MM over
  31. Cleveland Browns: $30.17MM over
  32. New Orleans Saints: $54.11MM over

These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.

With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.

Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.

The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.

Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

With Super Bowl LIX in the books, the 2024 campaign has come to a close. The final first-round order for April’s draft is now set as a result.

All 32 teams currently own a Day 1 selection, leaving the door open to each one adding a prospect in the first round for the first time since expansion in 2002. Any number of trades will no doubt take place between now and the draft, though, and it will be interesting to see how teams maneuver in the lead-in to the event. Of course, Tennessee in particular will be worth watching closely with a move to sell off the No. 1 pick being seen as a distinct possibility.

A weak quarterback class will leave teams like the Titans, Browns, Giants and Raiders with plenty of key offseason decisions. The free agent and trade markets do not offer many short-term alternatives which are seen as surefire additions, and teams which do not make moves in March will rely on the incoming group of rookies as part of their efforts to find a long-term solution under center. The two prospects seen as the clear-cut top options in 2025, however, are two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is a final look at the first-round order:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11. San Francisco 49ers (6-11)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  23. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
  24. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  25. Houston Texans (10-7)
  26. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  28. Detroit Lions (15-2)
  29. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  30. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  31. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
  32. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)

Coaching Notes: Faulk, Del Rio, Ryan, Bucs

His Cowboys and Raiders connections in the past, Deion Sanders is still at the controls at Colorado following his son’s exit for the draft. The Hall of Fame cornerback is hiring one of his Canton brethren to coach running backs. Buffaloes backs will be taking instruction from Marshall Faulk next season, the school announced. This will be Faulk’s first foray into college coaching. A superstar at San Diego State in the early 1990s, Faulk enjoyed a Hall of Fame run with the Colts and Rams, winning a Super Bowl and an MVP award in successive seasons. He had enjoyed a lengthy tenure on the media side following his career, but the 51-year-old RB legend will join Sanders’ staff. Faulk’s addition makes Colorado a three-Hall of Famer staff, as Warren Sapp remains as a quality control analyst.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

  • After being fired from his Commanders post late in the 2023 season, Jack Del Rio was not in the NFL this past season. The veteran DC and two-time HC will resurface in an unexpected place. He is taking over as head coach of the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football. The league has been in existence since fall 2020, and the Paris franchise has played two seasons. Del Rio had coached in the NFL from 1997-2017 but took two seasons off before Ron Rivera hired him in Washington. The team did sport two top-seven defenses under Del Rio, but his last Commanders unit fell to 32nd at the time of his firing. Del Rio, 61, spent last season as an advisor to Wisconsin HC Luke Fickell.
  • Staying with well-known NFL staffers leaving the league, USC has hired Rob Ryan as linebackers coach. Ryan had been onboard as a senior defensive assistant for the Raiders since 2022. Ryan, 62, enjoyed two tours with the Raiders, having been their DC from 2004-08. The four-time NFL DC has not coached at the college level since being Oklahoma State’s DC in the late 1990s.
  • Out of the NFL since a two-year Texans stay ended in January 2023, Pep Hamilton will return to coaching in a prominent role. Maryland has hired the veteran assistant as its OC, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. An NFL Network contributor, Hamilton had other options, per Rapoport, but will join his son Jackson with the Terrapins. A high school QB, Jackson Hamilton signed with Maryland in December. Coaching Justin Herbert and Andrew Luck in the pros, Pep Hamilton previously coached in college under Jim Harbaugh at Stanford and Michigan.
  • Moving back to current NFL staffs, the Buccaneers have given title bumps to the two coaches they blocked from Jaguars interviews. Kevin Carberry added an assistant HC title to go with his O-line duties, while the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud adds assistant O-line coach Brian Picucci is now in position as O-line coach. The Bucs’ setup seemingly remains the same, but as they have long been reported not to be open to allowing Liam Coen to poach anyone under contract, his two initial targets will be taken care of.
  • The Giants are adding ex-NFL cornerback Jeff Burris to work as their CBs coach, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. The former NFL starter has been a college assistant in recent years, working at both Louisiana and Louisiana Tech since 2018. He previously spent three seasons as the Dolphins’ assistant DBs coach, being a Joe Philbin hire in 2013.