For the first time this decade, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers failed to reach the playoffs, losing the NFC South crown and a four-year streak in the process. Sifting through the rubble of their historic collapse last season hasn’t been easy, but it’s been a necessary process; changes need to be made because this team has proven to be too talented to play as bad as it did. <\/p>\n
It’s a long offseason process but it all starts with free agency. Typically the Bucs have taken up residency in the quiet car of the free agency train, avoiding splashy deals and spending wisely — and efficiently — on areas of need. <\/p>\n
This offseason is a little different. While the Bucs have finally swallowed their medicine and navgated out of the cap hell they were in after paying for the Tom Brady years, there still isn’t a ton of money to spend and big names like Mike Evans and Lavonte David could be leaving. <\/p>\n
Add to that major holes on the roster — specifically on defense — and it’s clear the Bucs have a lot to do.<\/p>\n
On This PageFree-agency snapshot<\/a>Major Buccaneers signings<\/a>Buccaneers Free Agency Departures<\/a>Best targets remaining<\/a>Free-agency snapshotCap space remaining: $19,962,510 (estimated before several cap hits become official)Biggest signing: Alex Anzalone, LBBiggest departure: Meike Evans, WRMost surprising move: Re-signing Cade OttonBiggest remaining need: Edge Rusher Perhaps the most surprising moves the Bucs made was one of the team’s first. Moments after the legal tampering period opened, Tampa Bay re-signed tight end Cade Otton to a three-year deal. <\/p>\n It’s not surprising that the Bucs viewed him as a valuable piece of the offense, it’s that all signs seemed to point toward him getting a bigger deal elsewhere. Otton hit the market as one of the top available offensive weapons but being able to bring him back means Baker Mayfield gets some major continuity on offense heading into yet another year where he’ll have a new offensive coordinator. <\/p>\n Otton’s return is also impossible to divorce from the Mike Evans situation. It was widely believed that the Bucs would have to choose between the two, given the limited amount of money available to spend. Re-signing Otton as the first move out of the gate was bittersweet for this very reason, as it seemed to signal the end to Evans’ time in Tampa Bay. <\/p>\n Ironically, that’s one of the reasons Otton’s return actually helps soothe that wound. He was instrumental to the offense when Evans missed time over the last two seasons and has gone from a safety valve to a key piece for Zac Robinson to build his new scheme around. <\/p>\n Cade Otton re-signing with the Bucs is a bittersweet move<\/a><\/p>\n Kenneth Gainwell, RB<\/p>\n Mike Evans wasn’t the only free agent the Bucs were preparing to move on without. The writing had been on the wall since last offseason for Rachaad White, and the time has come for both sides to see what life is like without the other. <\/p>\n It’s not a messy end by any means. The whole idea since last offseason was that White would be given an opportunity to showcase his skills for a big contract while the Bucs benefited from his contract year play. The results were mostly mixed but the overall vibe of the two sides getting together for one last job ultimately worked. <\/p>\n The Bucs were the first ones to pull away from the job, though. As White sifts through potential offers, Tampa Bay wasted little time bringing in Kenneth Gainwell to replace him. It’s an underrated move that has the chance to payoff big, as Gainwell comes to the Bucs hot off a season where he rushed for over 1,000 yards as part of a comittee in Pittsburgh. <\/p>\n What this also tells us is that it’s Bucky Irving’s backfield now. He already assumed RB1 duties over White last year but he’s not the longest tenured member of the room (assuming Sean Tucker isn’t brought back). <\/p>\n
Last updated: 3:48 p.m. ET, March 9, 2026Major Buccaneers signingsCade Otton, TE<\/p>\n