![\"Calijah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2186713236-e1773610552892.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey. <\/p>\n
For lack of any better options, it appears as if disappointing Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> defensive lineman and 2023 1st round pick Calijah Kancey<\/a> is headed toward a massive payday.<\/p>\n While the Buccaneers technically have until May 1 to make up their minds<\/a> on Kancey, one NFL<\/a> insider believes the decision may have already been made.<\/p>\n From Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman<\/a>: \u201cBucs who will be in contract years in 2026? Baker Mayfield, Vita Vea, Yaya Diaby, Cody Mauch, Chase McLaughlin, Anthony Nelson, plus the new one-year guys: A\u2019Shawn Robinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Sean Tucker. (Expecting Calijah Kancey\u2019s fifth-year option for 2027 to be exercised).\u201d<\/p>\n Kancey is headed into the final year of his 4-year, $14.49 million rookie contract. Picking up his 5th year option would guarantee him a $14.75 million salary for the 2027 season.<\/p>\n Injuries Have Defined Calijah Kancey\u2019s Career<\/p>\n Kancey has missed 22 games due to injuries through his first 3 seasons and has yet to play in every regular-season game.<\/p>\n That failure was underlined in 2025 when he predicted he could lead the NFL in sacks and ended up missing 14 regular-season games<\/a> due to a torn pectoral muscle and not registering a sack.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you would be looking at the (NFL) sack leader,\u201d Kancey told\u00a0Buccaneers.com\u2019s Brianna Dix<\/a>\u00a0before the season when asked what a fully healthy season by him might look like.<\/p>\n When Kancey has been (mostly) healthy, he\u2019s been pretty good. Kancey led the Buccaneers with 7.5 sacks in 2024 despite missing 5 games due to injuries. He had 4.0 sacks as a rookie despite missing 3 games.<\/p>\n Calijah Kancey Returned for Regular Season Finale<\/p>\n Kancey was ruled out for the season with a torn pec muscle in Week 2 but worked his way to return for the regular season finale \u2014 a 16-14 win over the NFC South Division champion\u00a0Carolina Panthers<\/a> in Week 18 that kept Tampa Bay\u2019s playoff hopes alive.<\/p>\n The Buccaneers, who have lost 7 of their last 9 games and wound up missing the playoffs for the 1st time since 2019 \u2014 an outcome they may have avoided<\/p>\n \u201cThe Bucs have activated DL\u00a0Calijah Kancey<\/a>\u00a0off injured reserve, where he has been since Week 3 due to a pectoral injury,\u201d\u00a0Buccaneers.com\u2019s Scott Smith<\/a>\u00a0wrote on X on Friday, January 2. \u201cHe is available to play against the\u00a0Panthers<\/a>\u00a0Sunday. Rookie LB\u00a0John Bullock<\/a>\u00a0was waived.\u201d<\/p>\n Bigger Problem for Bucs: Lack of Pass Rush<\/p>\n The Buccaneers almost certainly need to use the No. 15 overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL draft on an elite pass rusher, whether that\u2019s an interior defensive lineman who could eventually replace Vea or Kancey or an edge rusher who can change games.<\/p>\n In his post-free agency mock draft, CBS Sports draft expert Josh Edwards<\/a> predicts the Buccaneers will take 6-foot-6, 276-pound Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk in the 1st round.<\/p>\n \u201cKeldric Faulk is young but not productive, a description that has fit Travon Walker, Shemar Stewart, etc.,\u201d Edwards wrote. \u201cThose players tend to be quality edge-setters at the very least, and the hope is they can expand their pass-rush profile. Tampa Bay needs help rushing the passer after getting shut out in free agency, and Faulk has the length the team covets.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tTony Adame<\/a> covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Buccaneers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey. For lack of any better options, it appears as if…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":192856,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-192855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}