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Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

WR Notes: Godwin, Rice, Hill, 49ers

July 23rd, 2025 at 5:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Godwin missed the final 11 games of the Buccaneers‘ season, counting their wild-card loss, but still commanded a high-end free agency deal. Given a three-year contract worth $66MM, Godwin turned down at least one more lucrative offer (from the Patriots) to stay in Tampa. But his return from a dislocated ankle will not commence in earnest for a bit. Tampa Bay placed Godwin on its active/PUP list to open training camp, doing so after the veteran wide receiver did not participate in any OTAs or minicamp work. Godwin needed a second procedure on his ankle, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine.

While Laine classifies this operation as minor, Godwin’s status bears monitoring. Todd Bowles did not confirm the wideout would be available for the Bucs’ opener, saying he was hopeful the longtime Mike Evans sidekick would be ready. The Bucs are loaded at receiver, drafting Emeka Egbuka in Round 1 following 2024 third-rounder Jalen McMillan‘s eight-touchdown rookie season, but this will be a storyline to follow during training camp. Tristan Wirfs is already expected to miss early-season time because of arthroscopic knee surgery. Godwin’s second surgery costing him regular-season time would be a tough break for the four-time reigning NFC South champs, but they have been patient with the former third-round pick’s injuries before. Though, Godwin did make it back by Week 1 of the 2022 season despite suffering a ACL and MCL tears in December 2021.

Here is the latest news around the 32 receiver situations:

  • Rashee Rice received a 30-day jail sentence stemming from his involvement in a hit-and-run sequence, but the embattled Chiefs wideout may not end up serving any time due to deferred adjudication. Completing the probationary process would allow Rice to avoid the prison stint. Rice is also practicing fully with the Chiefs to open training camp (via The Athletic’s Jenna West), avoiding the active/PUP list after missing most of last season with an LCL tear. With a Rice legal resolution emerging, a suspension should be expected in 2025. The 30-day sentence aside, the Chiefs do not have to act here. The organization has dealt with many high-profile instances involving off-field trouble, including a few at receiver, over the past several years. No team-imposed ban should be expected, as an expected NFL suspension will cover the discipline.
  • One of the previous players embroiled in off-field controversies in Kansas City, Tyreek Hill is now in Year 4 in Miami. Like Rice, the Dolphins talent is full go at training camp, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe tweets. Hill, who underwent wrist surgery this offseason, avoided a PUP placement and will work toward recapturing his Hall of Fame-level form of 2022 and ’23. He is coming off a down 2024, a season that featured him battle ailments in both wrists. A training camp return has been expected, and the 10th-year vet is on schedule. Hill was a partial offseason participant, but camp represents his first chance to catch passes since the offseason surgery.
  • Before signing Equanimeous St. Brown, the 49ers auditioned veteran kick returner Brandon Powell, Wilson adds. The 5-foot-8 performer operated as the Rams and Vikings’ primary kick returners in recent years. He has been a regular kick returner throughout the 2020s. Powell spent the past two seasons with the Vikings, following Kevin O’Connell to Minnesota. He worked as the Vikes’ primary kick returner in that span.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/25

July 22nd, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Ben Levine

With training camps kicking off around the NFL, teams continue to make adjustments to their rosters. Here are today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: DT Dante Barnett
  • Placed on active/NFI: RB Zack Moss

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: K Mark McNamee

Houston Texans

  • Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: OT Savion Washington

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Waived: OT Obinna Eze

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Buccaneers To Host T George Fant

July 22nd, 2025 at 10:37am CST by Adam La Rose

In need of tackle depth until Tristan Wirfs is healthy, the Buccaneers are taking a look at one of the top free agents still available. George Fant will work out for Tampa Bay today, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.

Wirfs recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. As a result of the procedure, he is expected to miss the start of the regular season. Charlie Heck represents the top in-house option to fill in at the left tackle spot as things stand, but Fant would be another candidate to do so if today’s workout produces an agreement.

Fant has 101 appearances and 75 starts to his name. With experience at both tackle spots, the 33-year-old would offer the Bucs veteran depth both before and after Wirfs is back in the fold for 2025. Fant worked out with the Ravens in April and also visited the Titans. As of the spring, he was primarily focused on a potential deal with Baltimore or Tennessee. Nothing materialized on either front since, and today’s visit is the first known one of the summer.

Fant’s PFF evaluations have fluctuated over time, but he has twice received a grade of 71.1 or higher. The former UDFA returned to the Seahawks in 2024, winning the starting right tackle position. Multiple injuries led to only a pair of games played, and that has hindered Fant’s value on the open market. This Tampa workout could end his free agent spell soon, however.

The Buccaneers’ offensive line was a strength in 2024 compared to previous years, something brought about in part by the first-round selection of Graham Barton. Wirfs will of course be a critical member of the unit once he returns to full health. Fant could stabilize one of the tackle spots until that takes place, and with over $26MM in cap space the team can certainly afford a one-year deal. It will be interesting to see if one can be worked out in short order.

DT Khalil Davis Retires

July 21st, 2025 at 10:21am CST by Adam La Rose

Khalil Davis remains unsigned as training camps open around the league. In lieu of continuing to pursue a free agent deal, the defensive tackle is hanging up his cleats.

Davis’ agent informed ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Monday of the news. As a result of the decision to end his NFL career, Davis will depart the league at the age of 28. His brother Carlos Davis has not officially retired but he last played in the regular season in 2022 and did not catch on with a team after being among the Bengals’ final cuts last summer.

Khalil Davis was selected one round earlier than his brother in the 2020 draft. Joining Tampa Bay as a sixth-rounder, he made a pair of regular season appearances with the team. Midway through the following season, however, Davis was waived. He played one game with the Colts before bouncing around the Steelers, Rams and Buccaneers’ practice squads.

The Nebraska product signed with the Texans ahead of the 2023 campaign, and it was with Houston that his largest workload emerged. Davis made 24 regular season appearances with the team; in 2023 his defensive snap share of 41% was the highest of his career. He remained with the Texans through the beginning of last season and remained a rotational member of the team’s defensive line. Davis was dealt to the 49ers just before the trade deadline, and he finished out the campaign in San Francisco as a result.

As a member of the Buccaneers during their Super Bowl win in 2020, Davis departs the game with a championship to his name. He added just over $4MM in career earnings while making a combined total of 34 regular and postseason appearances.

Buccaneers Close Draft Class Signings; Ink CB Benjamin Morrison

July 20th, 2025 at 6:29pm CST by Ely Allen

The Buccaneers are the latest team to close out their rookie draft class signings today after getting Notre Dame second-round cornerback Benjamin Morrison to put pen to paper. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Morrison’s deal includes full guarantees for the first two years and 96 percent of the third year guaranteed.

A four-star recruit coming out of Brophy College Prep (AZ), Morrison had offers from a number of big programs. After taking official visits to Notre Dame, Oregon, and Washington in back-to-back-to-back weekends, Morrison committed to the Fighting Irish. He found his way onto NFL radars as a true freshman despite enrolling just two months before the start of the season. Making nine starts in 13 games, Morrison led his team with six interceptions, including one returned 96 yards for a touchdown, and added 10 passes defensed for good measure.

He continued his excellence in his sophomore year, starting 11 of 12 contests and missing one game with a quad injury. Despite added caution from opposing quarterbacks after his freshman year acclaim, Morrison still made plenty of plays on the ball, recording three interceptions and 13 passes defensed. He also showed a strong ability to blow up plays on the perimeter with 3.5 tackles for loss.

Scouts everywhere were licking their chops to see what film Morrison would put up in 2024, now that he was finally going to draft eligible. Through six games, Morrison hadn’t recorded any interceptions, but his four passes defensed were on track for his usual rate of deflections. Unfortunately, a hip injury took Morrison off the field for the remainder of his junior year. Feeling he had put up enough film to warrant a high draft pick, he decided to forego his senior season and declare for the draft.

The Buccaneers return much of a secondary from 2024 that allowed the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL. Part of that can be attributed to injuries as safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead missed a combined 14 games, pushing Christian Izien into the starting secondary. Whitehead is the only one absent from last year’s roster in 2025 with Winfield and Izien back at safety, Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum back at outside cornerback, and Tykee Smith returning at nickelback.

Early reports suggested that Morrison is expected to be ready to return to the field after his hip injury in time for training camp, which starts this week. While the Buccaneers will surely be happy to see him back on the field, they likely won’t attempt to rush him back. If he gets onto the field and plays at a high level as a rookie, great. If not, the team’s plans for him may be much increased in 2026. 2025 is a contract year for McCollum, and Dean’s cap hits over the next two seasons — $15.14MM in 2025 and $15.78MM in 2026 — are high enough to speculate at his candidacy for release. If the team can’t justify bringing both back after this year, then Morrison will be there an additional year removed from his hip injury.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see what Morrison is able to do in 2025. With the early displays he put on at Notre Dame as evidence, the 21-year-old could be a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate if his play resembles anything close to what he displayed pre-injury. With Morrison being the last Tampa Bay rookie to sign his entry-level deal, here’s a final look at the Buccaneers’ completed six-man draft class:

Players To Spend Season On Franchise Tag Since 2015

July 13th, 2025 at 10:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs and Trey Smith have just less than 48 hours to agree on a long-term extension; otherwise, the Pro Bowl guard will play on the franchise tag and negotiations will be tabled until 2026. That is 2025’s only tag situation as the July 15 deadline approaches.

Over the previous 10 offseasons, 77 players received the franchise tag. Many of those signed extensions before the midsummer deadline. Here are the players who did not and ended up playing the season for the tag price:

2015

Pierre-Paul’s infamous fireworks accident led to Giants rescinding $14.8MM tag, setting up revised agreement 

2016

2017

2018

Bell did not collect any money on his 2018 tag, being the 21st century’s lone franchise-tagged player to skip season

2019

Texans applied $15.9MM linebacker tag on Clowney, trading him to Seahawks in August 2019; edge rusher agreed to salary reduction upon being dealt

2020

Ravens, Judon agreed on compromise between defensive end, linebacker tag prices. Ngakoue agreed to salary reduction to facilitate trade from Jaguars. Vikings traded edge rusher to Ravens before 2020 deadline. Prescott received exclusive franchise tag from Cowboys.

2021

2022

2023

Raiders provided raise to Jacobs to bring him into training camp

2024

Ndamukong Suh Announces Retirement

July 12th, 2025 at 10:17pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Longtime NFL defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has officially announced his retirement in a social media post.

Suh was one of the most dominant defensive linemen of the 2010s, earning five Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro selections across his 13-year career. He finished one game shy of 200 regular-season appearances and recorded 600 total tackles, 71.5 sacks, and 130 tackles.

Suh revealed that his father passed away exactly one year ago, inspiring him to seek out a post-football career hosting No Free Lunch, a podcast with The Athletic focused on business and finance. He hopes to use his platform to help athletes and young entrepreneurs.

Suh had a stellar career at the University of Nebraska, including a monstrous senior year in 2009 with 12.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. He won the Nagurski and Bednarik Awards as the best defensive player in college football, was named a unanimous All-American, and finished fourth in Heisman voting.

He was then selected by the Lions with the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and burst onto the pro scene with 10.0 sacks as a rookie, earning him the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award along with Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. He never reached double-digit sacks again, but remained a fierce disruptor on the interior with three more Pro Bowls and three more All-Pro nods in Detroit.

Suh was one of the biggest prizes of free agency in 2015 and ultimately signed a massive six-year, $114MM contract with the Dolphins. Suh’s $19MM per year — a defender-record contract at the time — may not seem like much relative to the modern interior defensive line market, but it represented a whopping 13.3% of the 2015 salary cap. Adjusted to the 2025 cap, Suh’s APY would be over $37MM, by far the highest-paid DT in the league, per OverTheCap.

However, after 36 sacks and 66 tackles for loss in five years with the Lions, Suh only had 14.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss in his first three years in Miami. He was released in 2018 and signed with the Rams for one season before a three-year stint in Tampa Bay. Suh helped the Rams to Super Bowl LIII, pairing with Aaron Donald for a season, and returned to the sport’s biggest stage with the Buccaneers.

Suh’s time with the Bucs featured a resurgence in play (12 sacks across 2020 and 2021) and his first and only championship in Super Bowl LV. Suh teamed with Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul to hound Patrick Mahomes in a home Super Bowl romp, the Bucs’ second championship. As the Bucs attempted to run it back with their full starting lineup in 2021, that meant re-signing Suh. The former Heisman runner-up ended up signing three one-year contracts with the Bucs, the last of which being worth $9MM.

Finishing off his career with five one-year contracts in a row, Suh then joined the Eagles partway through the 2022 season and even appeared in Super Bowl LVII. Although he was connected to a 2023 return, no comeback commenced. He received interest from the Ravens and the Dolphins during the 2023 season, but no deal came to fruition.

Suh finishes his career with just over $168MM in total earnings. He was already been named to the Hall of Fame All-2010s team and will have a chance at being inducted in five years. His candidacy, along with other modern DTs like Fletcher Cox, Geno Atkins, and Cameron Heyward, will be an interesting litmus test for the position’s Hall of Fame standards.

Bucs May Try Zyon McCollum In Slot

July 10th, 2025 at 5:17pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Buccaneers’ safeties have taken the majority of the team’s slot snaps over the past three years, but reports out of their spring practices indicate that head coach Todd Bowles could slide one of his outside cornerbacks into the nickel in 2025.

Tampa Bay is returning both of its starting cornerbacks from last season (Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum) and also added two Day 2 cornerbacks in April’s draft (Benjamin Morrison, Jacob Parrish). All four have primarily played on the boundary in the last three years, so getting more than two on the field will require at least one to play in the slot.

Dean has been a consistent contributor on the outside for his entire six-year career when healthy, so he will likely remain in that role this year. Parrish, a third-round pick, took first-team reps at nickel during spring practices. He primarily played on the boundary in college, but multiple pre-draft projections pegged him for a switch to the slot. If he were to hold onto the starting role, Dean and McCollum would likely reprise their 2024 roles as full-time starters on the boundary.

Bowles also mentioned McCollum as a potential nickel convert, according to Dan Pompei of The Athletic. The fourth-year corner has played more than 80% of his NFL snaps on the outside, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). In his last six seasons – three in college and three in the pros – McCollum has only played 267 snaps in the slot, but he will have plenty of time to adjust during training camp. However, he may object to moving to a less-valuable position in a contract year.

McCollum playing in the slot would open up an opportunity for Parrish or Morrison to compete for a starting role on the boundary in nickel and dime sets. Morrison did not participate in spring practices as he recovers from last year’s hip injury and subsequent surgery, but he is expected to be ready for training camp.

It is still possible that the Buccaneers revert to their previous strategy of deploying safeties in the slot. Even if Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith as more traditional safeties this year, Christian Izien has been one of the team’s most frequent slot defenders over the past two years. He earned Tampa Bay’s primary nickel job as an undrafted rookie in 2023, but struggled in 2024 as he ceded more slot snaps to Smith. A return to his 2023 form could keep him on the field in a contract year.

33 Unsigned 2025 Draft Picks Remain

July 9th, 2025 at 9:19pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL has hit a logjam and is collectively lagging far behind where it normally is at this point in the offseason. Two years ago, the league hit its last 30 unsigned players before July. Last year, teams were signing rookies as quickly as they were drafting them, and only 10 players remained unsigned by June 17. A couple intriguing situations have caused pens to go quiet in 2025, and as a result, here are the 33 remaining unsigned rookies of the 2025 NFL Draft:

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 4:

  • No. 107 (Jaguars): Jack Kiser (LB, Notre Dame)

In recent years, a trend has seen second-rounders lasting the longest, but what we’re seeing this year is unheard of. As rookies have been getting a bit of flexibility in negotiating structures of guarantees, getting deals done has become a waiting game of seeing what surrounding picks are getting for comparison. Last year, teams breezed through the issue, but 2025 has seen significantly increased troubles.

Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins set the tone by signing a fully guaranteed rookie contract, the first ever for a second-round selection. The next day, the Browns were essentially forced to do the same for Carson Schwesinger, picked one slot before Higgins. Shough, the Saints rookie quarterback, is seeking the same deal, hoping that his elevated status as a passer will help convince New Orleans to continue making history. Shough’s efforts have caused every pick between him and Higgins to stand pat, waiting to see if they get to ask for full guarantees from their teams, as well. This would be a drastic development, as last year’s 40th overall pick, Cooper DeJean, received only two fully guaranteed years with only partial guarantees in Year 3.

The biggest story outside of the second round is that of the standoff between Stewart and the Bengals. Stewart has issues with what he perceives as a lack of protection in Cincinnati’s offer that causes a contract default in any year to void any guarantees in all the following years. It’s a new precedent the team is trying to set, and Stewart seems intent on preventing them from doing so.

It will be interesting to see which standoff gets settled first: Stewart’s or Shough’s. The latter standoff ending would likely set off a domino reaction of second-round deals that would help a large number of teams close out their rookie classes. To this point, only four NFL teams have done so.

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs Will Miss Start Of 2025 Season

July 9th, 2025 at 9:12pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Buccaneers All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs is expected to be sidelined for the start of the 2025 regular season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee this week, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Wirfs sprained the MCL in his right knee last November, per FOX Sports’ Greg Auman, but only missed one game before returning to the field. The soreness from that injury lingered into the offseason, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, sidelining Wirfs for parts of spring practices, during which he wore a brace on his knee. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said last month (via Auman) that Wirfs’ limited participation was “precautionary,” adding that “he’ll be fine in training camp.”

However, the team determined that surgery was best for Wirf’s long-term health. The knee scope revealed more damage than expected, and the 2020 first-rounder will be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list during training camp, per Stroud. His stay on the PUP list will likely extend into the regular season.

All eyes in Tampa Bay will now turn to the team’s tackle depth. Wirfs is not expected to miss more than a few games, so the Buccaneers are unlikely to flip right tackle Luke Goedeke to the blind side. The team swapped out veteran swing tackles this offseason, letting Justin Skule depart in free agency and signing Charlie Heck. Heck started two games at left tackle for the 49ers last season and will likely be the Buccaneers’ Week 1 starter.

Wirfs will now begin the recovery process from the recent surgery with the goal of missing as few games as possible. Of greater importance to both him and the Buccaneers will be a full and complete recovery from his MCL injury with five years remaining on his extension signed in 2024.

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