The Tampa Bay Buccaneers front office has a franchise-defining offseason ahead of them in 2025. The Bucs have been a perennial playoff contender in a weak NFC South division, but the team is still a few pieces away from being a true Super Bowl contender.
Using PFSN’s NFL Offseason Manager and Mock Draft Simulator, I took on the role of Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht and simulated the 2025 offseason.
Initial Analysis and Team Needs Entering Offseason
As I begin taking on the Buccaneers’ offseason, the first step is to analyze the team’s biggest strengths and weaknesses in 2024.
Strengths
Dynamic Passing Attack: Baker Mayfield quietly had an elite season in 2024, grading in at No. 6 with an 87.9 grade per PFSN’s QB+ metric. Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, leading the No. 3 offense in the NFL per PFSN’s Offense+ metric.
Making Mayfield’s life easier is the dynamic duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, one of the most consistent and team-oriented wide receiver duos you will ever see. After a historic rookie season, Jalen McMillan looks to be the future at the position. Cade Otton adds to an embarrassment of riches in the passing game after turning in a truly impressive 2024 season.
Deep RB Group: Bucky Irving took the NFL by storm in a rookie season where he rushed for 1,122 and eight touchdowns. He and Rachaad White were one of only two running back duos in the league (Lions’ Gibbs and Montgomery) to both eclipse over 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
Rounding out the stable is former Syracuse standout Sean Tucker, an undrafted free agent who broke out with 192 total yards and two total touchdowns in week six against the New Orleans Saints.
Dominant Offensive Line: The Bucs have one of the best offensive line units in the NFL, and it could continue to improve in 2025. Tristan Wirfs made history as the first player to be named first-team All-Pro at both right tackle and left tackle, helping add momentum to his early-career Hall of Fame trajectory.
#Bucs OT Tristan Wirfs is the first player in NFL history to be first-team All-Pro at RT and LT.
This surprise reveal is pretty cool. pic.twitter.com/23L1rb7iM9
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 10, 2025
Center Graham Barton had a strong rookie season, and the first-round pick looks to take another step forward in 2025. After a rocky start to his NFL career, Luke Goedeke has found a home at right tackle and is quietly one of the league’s best players.
Cody Mauch has continued to develop at right guard and looks poised for a long career in Tampa Bay. The only question mark is at left guard, where Ben Bredeson did a fine job in 2024, but the team’s future plans for the position are unclear.
Weaknesses
Lack of Pass Rush: The lack of an outside pass rush is troubling for this Buccaneers defense, and it is one of the only factors preventing this unit from being one of the league’s best under defensive guru Todd Bowles.
In 2024, the two starting interior defensive linemen led the team with sacks, which is almost unheard of. Calijah Kancey notched a team-high 7.5 sacks, while Vita Vea was right behind him with seven sacks of his own.
The team’s edge rushers underwhelmed, with former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka generating only two sacks in his contract year. YaYa Diaby had 4.5 sacks, and Anthony Nelson added four. Infusing this position group with new talent will be a priority this offseason.
Lack of Secondary Depth: The team lost cornerback Bryce Hall to a season-ending injury in the season opener against Washington, and the secondary never escaped the injury bug in 2024. All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. missed eight games while starting cornerback Jamel Dean missed five.
The team reunited with two of its former safeties, Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards, but both suffered injuries that derailed their reunion with Tampa Bay.
While bad injury luck was a factor in 2024, the Bucs’ secondary depth needs to be bolstered so that they aren’t forced to rely on players who simply aren’t ready to play such an important role.
Lack of Takeaways: The Tampa Bay defense failed to generate turnovers, notching an embarrassing low seven team interceptions in 2024. Only the Browns, Giants, and Jaguars had less. While working on adding secondary talent, the ability to make plays on the football must be a key criterion for any new defender being added to the roster.
Team Needs
This is one of the NFL’s best offensive rosters, mixed with glaring weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball. Entering the offseason, the Buccaneers team needs are:
- EDGE
- ILB
- CB
- S
- IOL
Offseason Phase One: Restructures, Cuts, Trades, Re-Signings
Contract Restructures:
- LT Tristan Wirfs – $19,864,000 in cap space saved
- QB Baker Mayfield – $21,558,750 in cap space saved
- WR Mike Evans – $15,308,751 in cap space saved
- S Antoine Winfield Jr. – $14,872,500 in cap space saved
After starting with just over $13 million to spend, restructuring these four core players opens up over $50 million in cap space, bringing the new cap space number to $85,350,039.
Cuts and Trades:
- CUT S Jordan Whitehead: The Bucs have already informed Whitehead that they will decline his 2025 option, making him a free agent at the start of the new league year. The move saves the Bucs $4.5 million.
- TRADE CB Jamel Dean: Earlier, I addressed the lack of depth in the secondary and the injury bug that affected the defense in 2024. Dean played just 12 games in 2024 and has never played a full season in his career. Dean is an above-average cornerback when healthy, but the Bucs can’t afford to gamble again on his availability.
*Trade Details: The Bucs trade CB Jamel Dean to the Baltimore Ravens for a 5th Round Draft Pick (No. 178)*
The Ravens currently hold two draft picks at the end of the fifth round. Here, they take a chance on a solid starting cornerback in exchange for a day three selection. Trading Dean saves the Bucs $8,284,941 against the cap.
Updated Cap Space: $93,634,985
Contract Extensions
WR Chris Godwin – Two years, $40 million: Godwin is the most important free agent on the list, and it would be a massive failure to let him leave Tampa Bay. Godwin plays a pivotal role both on and off the field for the Buccaneers, and despite his age and injury history, there is no hesitation in giving him a robust deal to return to the Buccaneers.
OLB Anthony Nelson – Two years, $10 million: Nelson is a reliable rotational edge rusher in Tampa Bay, and after four sacks in 2024, Nelson has proven to be a depth piece worth keeping around in a similar role going forward.
LG Ben Bredeson – One year, $6 million: The Bucs could get greedy and look to upgrade here, but Bredeson did a solid job holding down the LG spot in 2024, and he has already proven to be a capable starter in Tampa Bay. He has earned the right to at least compete for the starting spot in 2025.
DL Greg Gaines – One year, $3 million: The former Washington Huskie definitely gets a boost for his rapport with Vita Vea, but Gaines is genuinely a solid depth piece on the interior defensive line.
DL Will Gholston – One year, $1.5 million: If Gholston wants to continue his NFL career, the Bucs should ensure it is in Tampa. Gholston is clearly out of his prime, but the longtime veteran is beloved and respected in this locker room, and there is still a spot on the roster for a mentor and rotational piece.
WR Sterling Shepard – 1 year, $1.5 million: Shepard has a strong relationship with Baker Mayfield and is a good option at the bottom of the receiver depth chart.
OL Justin Skule – 1 year, $1.5 million: Skule is familiar with the locker room and playing experience and comes at a team-friendly deal for needed offensive line depth. Done deal.
Restricted Free Agents Re-Signed
- S Kaevon Merriweather
- ILB J.J. Russell
Free Agents Not Re-Signed
- Adam Gotsis
- Bryce Hall
- Chase Edmonds
- Eric Banks
- Joe Tryon Shoyinka
- K.J. Britt
- Kyle Trask
- Mike Edwards
- Robert Hainsey
- Ryan Neal
- Shaq Barrett
- Sua Opeta
- Tavierre Thomas
- Troy Hill
Updated Cap Space: 41.1 million
Offseason Phase Two: Buccaneers Free Agency Predictions
Entering the outside free agency market, the Buccaneers have over $40 million to spend to make roster improvements. General Manager Jason Licht is known to make calculated, conservative moves in free agency, opting to reward his in-house players rather than gamble with big contracts on outside free agents. Expect the Bucs to seek out low-risk, high-reward deals that are often only for one year.
CB Eric Stokes – 1 year, $6 million: At 6’1”, 194 pounds, Stokes has the length that Todd Bowles prefers in his outside cornerbacks. He also has the speed Bowles loves—Stokes ran a blistering 4.25 40-yard dash at his virtual Pro Day in 2021.
The former first-round pick has had his career derailed by injuries but boasts a rare athletic profile that is worth taking a flier on for a team that needs an infusion of talent on defense.
S Jeremy Chinn – 1 year, $5 million: Chinn is a versatile safety, proving to be most effective in the box as run support. Bowles has always loved a chess piece he could utilize for his scheme, and Chinn fits the bill.
ILB Eric Kendricks – 1 year, $3.5 million: Lavonte David is likely entering his final season, and the team could partner him with another ageless wonder in the middle of their 3-4 defense. Kendricks, at 32 years old, had a career-high 128 total tackles, along with three sacks and two interceptions for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.
QB Daniel Jones – 1 year, $10 million: This may be a controversial signing, but the backup quarterback spot is always ignored until a team needs to depend on it. Rather than re-signing Kyle Trask, the Bucs can spend just a few million dollars more for a quarterback that has years of starting experience, for better or for worse.
The Buccaneers have been very fortunate in terms of injury luck with their quarterbacks, but Baker Mayfield plays a physical, risky brand of football, and a championship-caliber team should always have an insurance plan. The Bucs do not want a nightmare scenario to unfold where they have to rely on the inexperienced Trask or Michael Pratt.
New offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard previously coached at Duke University as a quality control coach, where he worked with the quarterbacks. His tenure overlapped with Jones’s, and the two could re-unite as Grizzard implements his offense in Tampa Bay.
IOL Nick Gates – 1 year, $1.25 million: The Bucs will need to replace Robert Hainsey, who is likely departing for a starting center job in free agency. Gates is a position-versatile offensive lineman with experience at four of five spots on the line. He has experience playing next to Ben Bredeson from their respective tenures with the New York Giants and comes at a bargain price.
P Riley Dixon – 1 year, $2.5 million: The Bucs need to improve the punter position after a dreadful 2024 for the position in Tampa Bay. Dixon finished No. 9 with a net punt average of 42.2 yards. Dixon also booted 33 punts inside the 20-yard line, good for No.6 in the NFL.
Estimated Cap Space Remaining: $13,250,000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-Round Mock Draft
Round 1: Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
Ezeiruaku had 30 career sacks at Boston College, including 16.5 last season. The Bucs need a difference maker off the edge, and Ezeiruaku has all the physical tools to be what the Bucs are missing.
Is Donovan Ezeiruaku the most underrated player in this class?
– 34.5” arms
– Elite Bend
– 16.5 Sacks, 21 TFLs last season (ELITE production)
– High motor
– 90th+ percentile shuttle and 3 coneWhy isn’t this guy a top 20 lock yet?
— 𝙙𝙤𝙩 (@dotwav___) March 6, 2025
Round 2: Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State
Porter has the prototypical size and speed that Bowles covets in his cornerbacks. He tested as one of the most athletic CB prospects ever at the combine, including a 4.30 40-yard dash, and presents an intriguing upside if developed properly.
Per @MathBomb, Iowa State CB Darien Porter put up a Relative Athletic Score of 9.99 out of 10 at the Combine
That ranks 4th out of the 2,480 CBs from 1987 to 2025 🤯 https://t.co/HhIAPI7Sfy pic.twitter.com/O9wp2sy6t5
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) February 28, 2025
The Bucs drafted Zyon McCollum in 2022, who scored a perfect ten on the Relative Athletic Score, the highest ever for the CB position. Bowles has a penchant for drafting athletic freaks at cornerback and coaching them to be quality players.
Porter needs time to develop, but he fits the scheme like a glove and would form the most athletic outside CB duo in the NFL teaming up with McCollum.
Round 3: Jeffery Bassa, LB, Oregon
Lavonte David is in the final act of his NFL career, and the Bucs need to find the heir to his throne. Bassa is a former safety and offers excellent coverage skills at the linebacker spot, something the Bucs were missing in 2024.
The team hit a home run drafting an Oregon prospect in Bucky Irving last offseason, and Bassa could be the next player to make the successful transition from Duck to Buc as the team looks to find their inside linebacker of the future.
Round 4: Cobee Bryant, CB, Kansas
“I want ballhawks,” Todd Bowles told the media in Indianapolis regarding what he wants in the newest additions to his defense. Well, if Bowles is looking for a ballhawks, he needs to look no further than Kansas University’s Cobee Bryant. Kansas almost had to switch their mascot from Jayhawks to Ballhawks after Bryant notched 13 interceptions in his college career.
Kansas CB Cobee Bryant says he had a formal meeting with the #Bucs and it was the best one that he’s had.
“The energy they had. It was fun.” pic.twitter.com/SeUE0oXLNY
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) February 27, 2025
If his elite ball skills aren’t enough, Bryant already seems to be passionate about the idea of joining the Buccaneers. He told the media at the combine that his favorite formal interview was with Tampa Bay, and the team would be wise to reciprocate his interest on draft day.
Round 5: Clay Webb, IOL, JAX ST
Webb is the stereotypical Jason Licht offensive line prospect. He comes from a small school, offers position versatility across the offensive line, and has a relentless motor.
Webb only falls this far due to his competition level and smaller size at just 6’3”, 312 pounds, but he could legitimately develop into a capable player at the NFL level.
Round 6* (from Baltimore): Andrew Armstrong, WR, Arkansas
In the pick added via the Jamel Dean trade, it is time to plan for the future at wide receiver. Evans will be 32 when the season starts, and Godwin will be 29. It is never too early to develop a succession plan.
Armstrong is a big weapon at 6’4, 204 pounds, and ran a solid 4.50 40-yard dash. If that profile sounds familiar, legendary Buccaneer Mike Evans measured at a slightly larger 6’5 and 231 pounds and ran a nearly identical 4.53 40-yard dash.
Andrew Armstrong led the SEC in Receptions & Receiving Yards
Yet he is projected to go Undrafted..
Absurd‼️ pic.twitter.com/pnAJXXcioy
— Chris Polk (@Polk_Fitness) March 6, 2025
Armstrong caught 78 passes for 1,140 yards and a touchdown in 2024. In 2022, he again had over 1,000 yards with a career-high 13 touchdowns. It is confusing that Armstrong is projected to fall so far in the draft.
He tested well and has top-tier college production in the SEC—offering the potential to develop into a solid target for an NFL offense, especially in the red zone.
Round 7: Patrick Jenkins, DT, Tulane
The Bucs re-signed Greg Gaines and William Gholston earlier in my offseason simulation, but the position group badly needs some youth to be developed. Jenkins is a low-risk, high-reward selection this late in the draft. He had 14 sacks in his college career, including 4.5 in 2024 and 5.5 in 2023.
PATRICK JENKINS!!! – @lah_pat94
🌊@GreenWaveFB | @CottonBowlGame | @Tulane pic.twitter.com/g410FIbiQN
— Tulane Green Wave (@TulaneAthletics) January 2, 2023
At just 6’2”, 293 pounds, Jenkins might be undersized for the NFL level, but he has a proven knack for getting to the quarterback. Jenkins is raw but offers a high upside, and the Bucs should be happy to take a risk if he is on the board with their final pick.
As this mock offseason comes to a close, the Buccaneers were able to extend Chris Godwin, completely revamp the defensive unit, and proactively upgrade the backup quarterback position. With these strategic moves, the Buccaneers took a step forward and are in a position to contend for a title in 2025 with continued success into the future.