Another offseason chock full of Buccaneers re-signings is upon us. Anthony Nelson will become the latest homegrown player to stick around.
The Bucs are giving the outside linebacker at two-year, $10MM deal, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports. The contract can max out at $12MM. Although these are modest terms in the grand scheme of NFL contracts, it is interesting since Nelson already played out a two-year, $10MM contract with the Bucs.
Considering where the cap has gone since Nelson re-signed with the Bucs in 2023, this can be deemed a pay cut. But Nelson will stay on a $5MM-per-year accord to help the Bucs as an auxiliary edge rusher. The former fourth-round pick has fared decently in that role before, having totaled 17.5 sacks over the past four years.
A 2019 fourth-round pick, Nelson won Super Bowl ring as a backup during the 2020 season and has helped the team transition after it moved on from Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett in recent years. The Bucs have since let Joe Tryon-Shoyinka walk, as the 2021 first-rounder committed to the Browns earlier Tuesday. Nelson could be in store for a bigger role as a result, but Tampa Bay is also bringing in Haason Reddick on a pricey one-year deal.
Reddick will be set to start opposite YaYa Diaby, but his addition should not tweak Nelson’s responsibilities too much. Nelson, 28, worked as a part-time starter in both 2022 and ’24, making 14 starts between those seasons, and was a 16-game contributor off the bench in 2023. Nelson is coming off a season in which he established a new career high with 13 QB hits. While he did not match his 2021-22 sack production (11.5) on his two-year deal (seven sacks from 2023-24), the Iowa alum upped his TFL count in that span. Nelson finished with 13 combined TFLs over the past two seasons, forcing a fumble in 2024.
A previous restructure on Nelson’s 2023 contract will lead to a Mike Evans-like arrangement, as Nelson will count as both an active contract and dead money on the Bucs’ 2025 payroll. Nelson’s deal voiding earlier this offseason will leave a $2.65MM dead money charge. But the Bucs will still keep their top rotational rusher in the fold behind Diaby and now Reddick.
The team had previously re-signed Lavonte David, Chris Godwin and Ben Bredeson. This comes after an offseason that featured David, Evans and Baker Mayfield re-ups and extensions for Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr.