Buccaneers Add 13-Man UDFA Class
The Buccaneers were lauded for their ability to add value with their seven picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. When the event came to an end, the team went to work adding more young players to the roster to form a 20-man rookie class. Here are the 13 undrafted free agents who signed on with Tampa Bay:
- Wesley Brown, LS (Fresno State)
- Ja’Qurious Conley, S (Charlotte)
- Jalon Daniels, QB (Kansas) (story)
- Kenny Fletcher Jr., TE (Rutgers)
- Ayden Garnes, CB (Arizona)
- Josiah Green, DT (Duke)
- Aidan Laros, P (Kentucky)
- Henry Lutovsky, G (Nebraska)
- Deshawn McKnight, DT (Arizona)
- Jack Pyburn, DE (LSU)
- Eric Rivers, WR (Georgia Tech)
- Paul Rubelt, T (UCF)
- Noah Short, WR (Army)
The Buccaneers were fortunate to add Pyburn after the LSU one-year rental slipped out of the back of the draft. Extremely effective as a run-stopper, Pyburn was thought to be a potential sixth- or seventh-round option, but perhaps his lack of a pass rush kept teams from using draft capital on him. He was seemingly a popular option as a free agent, though. Aaron Williams of KPRC 2 reports that Tampa Bay’s deal with Pyburn has $115K in guaranteed money, including a $15K signing bonus.
Other than Pyburn, only guys like Lutovsky, Garnes, and Rivers stood a chance at landing at the back of the draft, but even they were pretty likely to land as undrafted free agents. Lutovsky looks the part of an OL depth piece after serving as a two-year starter for the Cornhuskers. Garnes had a breakout year in 2023 with 13 passes defensed and two picks at Duquesne before ending at Arizona with nine passes defensed and an interception last year. Once a 1,000-yard, 12-touchdown receiver at FIU before transferring to Atlanta, Rivers has the speed to earn an NFL opportunity as a slot or return man.
Lastly, Tampa Bay will use their UDFA class to take a look at some rookie specialists. With punter Riley Dixon and long snapper Evan Deckers both playing on contract years, Laros and Brown could both stand an outside chance at earning a roster spot or practice squad contract.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/26
Here are a couple rare Sunday NFL transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Brandon Walton
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Landon Young
- Waived: WR Mac Dalena
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Kadarius Calloway, OLB Yasir Holmes, WR Dean Patterson
After two years each with the Buccaneers and Panthers, Walton will remain in the NFC South following a successful tryout at Atlanta’s rookie minicamp.
The Jets let go of Dalena in order to bring in some offensive line depth. Young spent the past four years in New Orleans as a versatile backup option. Over the course of his rookie contract, Young made 12 starts in 56 game appearances. Those 12 starts included assignments at both tackle and both guard spots along the Saints offensive line.
The Buccaneers are rewarding Calloway, Holmes, and Patterson with undrafted free agent contracts after successful tryouts at their rookie minicamp. Calloway transferred around liberally over the past three years, spending time at Old Dominion, Cal, and New Mexico before finding his way to the NFL. Patterson, a Tampa native, spent four years at FIU before transferring to Georgia Tech for his final year of eligibility. Holmes started his collegiate career at Frostburg State but spent the 2025 season at Tarleton State.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/9/26
Here are Saturday’s minor NFL moves:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Javin Wright
- Waived (with non-football injury designation): RB Michael Wiley
Wright agreed to terms with Tampa Bay shortly after the draft but was not included among the team’s initial undrafted free agent class. The Nebraska product’s arrival required a corresponding roster move, and Wiley has been let go. A former UDFA himself, Wiley finished 2025 on the Buccaneers’ practice squad before signing a futures deal in January.
Minor NFL Transaction: 5/8/26
Friday’s minor NFL transactions:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed off waivers (from Giants): LB Swayze Bozeman
- Signed: S Isaiah Nwokobia
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers (from Giants): DT Elijah Chatman
- Received international exemption: P Nik Constantinou
Denver Broncos
- Waived: T Marques Cox, OLB Garrett Nelson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DT Smith Vilbert
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Damon Bankston
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers (from Colts): LB John Bullock
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers (from Giants): WR Courtney Jackson
- Waived: WR Hal Presley
After the Giants waived Bozeman, Chatman, and Jackson yesterday, all three found new homes today on the waiver wire. Constantinou qualifies for the international exemption that allows him not to count against the team’s 90-man roster as one of several Australians who have found their way to the NFL as specialists. Lastly, Cincinnati, Minnesota, and New York all added to their UDFA classes today after Nwokobia, Vilbert, and Bankston went undrafted out of SMU, North Carolina, and New Mexico, respectively.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/7/26
A slew of rookies signed their first NFL contracts on Thursday. Here’s a look…
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Reggie Virgil (fifth round, Texas Tech)
- LB Karson Sharar (sixth round, Iowa)
- T Jayden Williams (seventh round, Ole Miss)
Atlanta Falcons
- WR Zachariah Branch (third round, Georgia)
- LB Kendal Daniels (fourth round, Oklahoma)
- LB Harold Perkins Jr. (sixth round, LSU)
- T Ethan Onianwa (seventh round, Ohio State)
Buffalo Bills
- OLB TJ Parker (second round, Clemson)
- S Jalon Kilgore (fifth round, South Carolina)
- DT Zane Durant (fifth round, Penn State)
- CB Toriano Pride Jr. (seventh round, Missouri)
- P Tommy Doman Jr. (seventh round, Florida)
- G Ar’maj Reed-Adams (seventh round, Texas A&M)
Denver Broncos
- TE Justin Joly (fifth round, NC State)
- S Miles Scott (seventh round, Illinois)
Indianapolis Colts
- LB CJ Allen (second round, Georgia)
- S A.J. Haulcy (third round, LSU)
- EDGE George Gumbs Jr. (fifth round, Florida)
- EDGE Caden Curry (sixth round, Ohio State)
- RB Seth McGowan (seventh round, Kentucky)
- WR Deion Burks (seventh round, Oklahoma)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DT Albert Regis (third round, Texas A&M)
- OL Emmanuel Pregnon (third round, Miami)
- S Jalen Huskey (third round, Maryland)
- DE Wesley Williams (fourth round, Duke)
- TE Tanner Koziol (fifth round, Houston)
- WR Josh Cameron (sixth round, Baylor)
- WR CJ Williams (sixth round, Stanford)
- DE Zach Durfee (seventh round, Washington)
- LB Parker Hughes (seventh round, Middle Tennessee State)
New York Giants
- WR Malachi Fields (third round, Notre Dame)
- DT Bobby Jamison-Travis (sixth round, Auburn)
- T J.C. Davis (sixth round, Illinois)
- LB Jack Kelly (sixth round, BYU)
New York Jets
- QB Cade Klubnik (fourth round, Clemson)
- S VJ Payne (seventh round, Kansas State)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- WR Ted Hurst (third round, Georgia State)
- CB Keionte Scott (fourth round, Miami)
- DT DeMonte Capehart (fifth round, Clemson)
- G Billy Schrauth (fifth round, Notre Dame)
- TE Bauer Sharp (sixth round, LSU)
With the Jaguars’ three-day rookie minicamp scheduled to start Friday, they now have nine of their 10 picks under contract. The lone exception is their top choice, second-round tight end Nate Boerkircher.
The Buccaneers are in a similar situation to the Jaguars. Their second-rounder, linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, is also unsigned. Meanwhile, Hurst has not officially put pen to paper, but that will change when he arrives for rookie camp on Friday. He has already agreed to terms, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Buccaneers Sign Round 1 EDGE Rueben Bain Jr.
Rueben Bain Jr. was not viewed as likely to be available at No. 15. The Buccaneers were believed to have given the Miami defensive end a top-five grade on their board. Tampa Bay entered the draft in need of EDGE help, and the team exited Round 1 with one of the top prospects at the position.
The Bucs have made quick work of signing Bain to his rookie contract. The sides agreed to terms on Bain’s first-round slot deal Thursday, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. Bain’s deal comes fully guaranteed — worth $22.79MM — and will include a fifth-year option for the 2030 season.
[RELATED: Bucs Exercise DL Calijah Kancey’s Fifth-Year Option]
Tampa Bay was in the Trey Hendrickson market, something GM Jason Licht confirmed this week, and pursued Jonathan Greenard via trade. but ended up with a lower-cost option (Al-Quadin Muhammad — at one year and $4MM) in free agency. As Muhammad profiled as a stopgap alongside contract-year rusher YaYa Diaby, the Bucs now have Bain in place as a high-end developmental option behind the veterans. Diaby is an extension candidate, and Bain’s rookie deal would complement a second contract for the team’s top incumbent edge rusher nicely.
Linked to trading down from No. 15, the Bucs were “over the moon” to come away with Bain in that spot. Bain was mentioned as a candidate to go in the top 10, but potential EDGE-seeking teams Kansas City and New Orleans went in different directions.
An arm-length issue, albeit one that may not have been as clear-cut as it seemed, impacted Bain’s draft stock. He was also involved in a car accident in which one of the passengers in the vehicle he was driving died. The latter issue did not bring charges, only a careless driving citation, and it was not believed to have much effect on the ex-Hurricane’s perception among teams entering the draft; teams had known about the incident for longer than the public.
Diaby hit as a third-round pick for the Bucs, but the team has not seen a player eclipse eight sacks in a season since Shaquil Barrett‘s 2021 campaign. The team whiffed on first-rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, and its 2025 Haason Reddick free agency addition did not work out. Diaby’s seven sacks paced the Bucs last season; no one else reached the five-sack mark. That has been a theme for Tampa Bay in recent years, even as Vita Vea has been one of the NFL’s best defensive tackles in this span.
Bain, 21, registered 7.5 sacks as a freshman in 2023 and tallied 9.5 to help Miami reach the CFP championship game. Bain racked up 15.5 tackles for loss last season, earning All-America acclaim. While an edge rusher by trade, Bain worked as an inside disruptor at points for the Hurricanes as well. That would give Tampa Bay some options.
The Chiefs were believed to view Bain as their backup plan to Mansoor Delane, but Kansas City left Bain on the board when Cleveland greenlit a trade that sent the draft’s top cornerback prospect to Missouri. Staying in Florida, Bain will attempt to give the Bucs a dependable edge-rushing presence after falling to 15.
Bucs GM: Team Seeking Long-Term Future With Baker Mayfield
MAY 6: While Licht has not confirmed talks are underway or a timeline on an extension goal — be it before Week 1 or before the 2027 free agency period — ESPN’s Adam Schefter voiced an expectation during an NFL Live appearance (h/t JoeBucsFan.com) an extension will come to pass between the Buccaneers and their fourth-year quarterback.
The team intends to extend Mayfield, per Schefter, pointing to a deal being completed by September. The Bucs have deviated from their strategy of letting players play out contracts, having extended core performers Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. in 2024. Mayfield did not receive that priority in 2023, though the QB was reestablishing his value that year, but may well secure the top spot in Tampa Bay’s contract queue this offseason.
MAY 4: The Buccaneers do not have a history with long-term quarterback partnerships. No one has started more than six years with the franchise at the game’s premier position.
The team’s longest-tenured starting QB is Vinny Testaverde, a former No. 1 overall pick who left in free agency in 1993. Trent Dilfer was also a six-year Buc, leaving in 2000 as a free agent after an injury-shortened 1999 season. Doug Williams lasted five years, but a messy dispute with ownership led to the future Super Bowl MVP’s 1983 exit. Super Bowl XXXVII starter Brad Johnson played four seasons with the team.
Although Ryan Griffin never started a game in Tampa, he is technically the longest-tenured QB in franchise history — at seven years (2015-21). Baker Mayfield is contracted for one more season — which will be his fourth in Tampa — but the club has designs on moving the former No. 1 pick into position to become its longest-tenured quarterback.
Rumblings about a Mayfield extension emerged at multiple points this offseason, and while negotiations do not look to have begun, GM Jason Licht said during a WDAE appearance (h/t Fox Sports’ Greg Auman) the quarterback’s situation is “at the forefront of our minds.” Licht added “nobody here wants Baker playing for any other team.”
Mayfield’s three-year, $100MM deal includes a $39.98MM cap number for 2026. The Bucs made the decision to guarantee $30MM of Mayfield’s 2026 compensation last summer, providing security for a player who has rejuvenated his career during his time in Florida. Two void years are on the contract; if the Bucs do not extend Mayfield by the start of the 2027 league year, they would owe $30.15MM in dead money in 2027.
That number approaches the penalty the Bucs received on their 2023 cap after Tom Brady‘s second retirement. Mayfield arrived in the wake of the three-year Bucs QB1’s decision, with the team staying away from a big-ticket investment due largely to the Brady dead money. Mayfield joined the Bucs on an incentive-laden contract that provided only $4MM in base value. After a bounce-back 2023 season, Mayfield signed his three-year deal on the eve of the ’24 free agency period.
Mayfield then posted better numbers under Liam Coen in 2024, throwing 41 touchdown passes and completing 71% of his throws. The QB regressed last season, seeing his yards per attempt fall from 7.9 in 2024 to 6.8 in ’25; Mayfield also completed just 63% of his passes. The Bucs, though, trudged through an injury-plagued season that featured extensive missed time from skill-position players — including Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving — and O-linemen. The Bucs, who replaced OC Josh Grizzard with Zac Robinson this offseason (with input from their quarterback on the hire), are ready to give Mayfield another chance.
While the Licht-era Bucs have regularly had key starters play out contract years and re-signing them either before or during the following free agency period, it would be a bit surprising to see Mayfield not extended before Week 1. The 31-year-old passer would be an attractive UFA in 2027 were the Bucs to pass on an extension.
Tampa Bay currently has Mayfield on a wildly team-friendly accord, with his AAV checking in 16th among QBs. The Colts giving Daniel Jones a two-year, $88MM deal probably will factor into Mayfield’s Bucs negotiations. While only two teams — the Packers (Aaron Rodgers) and Cowboys (Dak Prescott) — have authorized $50MM-per-year extensions for QBs past their 30th birthdays, Mayfield will be a candidate to at least come in above Jones on his next contract.
Sam Darnold‘s camp will be taking notice of how the Bucs and Mayfield proceed. Although the Bucs would have a franchise tag at their disposal if they are unable to extend Mayfield, that pricey number along with the $30MM-plus dead cap figure — in the event the former Heisman winner does ultimately relocate next year — arms the fourth-year Tampa Bay starter with some leverage ahead of his talks. It will be interesting to see what numbers emerge once serious discussions begin.
Bucs’ Jacob Parrish To Compete For Outside CB Job
After cornerback Jacob Parrish showed off his inside-outside versatility at Kansas State, the Buccaneers added him in the third round of the 2025 draft. The 84th overall pick wound up spending most of his rookie season in the slot, but he could take on new responsibilities in Year 2. Parrish will compete for a starting job on the outside, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com.
The Buccaneers’ secondary has undergone a couple of notable changes this offseason, which could lead to a different role for the 5-foot-10, 198-pound Parrish. They lost starting corner Jamel Dean to the Steelers in free agency and did not pick up any real replacement(s) on the open market. The Dean-less Buccaneers entered the draft with Zyon McCollum and Benjamin Morrison on the outside and Parrish in the slot, but they went on to grab Keionte Scott in the fourth round. Scott logged a large amount of snaps as a nickel corner during a four-year college career divided between Auburn and Miami.
The addition of Scott could lead to more work on the outside for Parrish, who played 127 snaps on the boundary last year and amassed 496 in the slot. During a 17-game, five-start campaign, Parrish finished second among Tampa Bay’s corners in defensive snap share (71.46%), Only McCollum was on the field more than Parrish, who racked up 76 tackles, seven passes defensed, two interceptions and a pair of sacks. He ended the year as Pro Football Focus’ 31st-ranked corner among 112 qualifiers, handily beating out McCollum (51st) and Morrison (108th), and earned a place on the All-Rookie Team.
McCollum, who started in all 30 appearances from 2024-25, inked a three-year, $48MM extension last September. That came several months after the Bucs drafted Parrish and Morrison. They used a second-rounder on Morrison, the 53rd overall choice, but a hip injury limited him to 10 games and three starts. If Morrison has a healthier second season, the club figures to bank on him, Parrish, McCollum and Scott for plenty of snaps.
With their offseason heavy lifting likely done, the Buccaneers will expect their current group of corners to help lead an improved pass defense in 2026. The Bucs were a lowly 27th against the pass last season, which helps explain their 8-9 finish and their failure to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2019.
NFC Draft Rumors: Saints, Bain, Cowboys, Guarantees
On the eve of the 2026 NFL Draft, multiple reports came out asserting the Saints were a team to monitor for a potential draft day trade-up. Sitting already at No. 8 overall, rumors seemed to indicate that New Orleans could be looking to move up as far as the third pick in the draft, but general manager Mickey Loomis set things straight for the media (video via NewOrleans.Football) the next day.
Fully aware of the reports that had been made, Loomis told reporters, “Yeah, I never made one call to move up from pick 8.” After noting some surprise in the room, he continued, “I know it was reported by a couple of people, but that was completely untrue.”
The surprise was in part due to the existing reports of such interest, but it also stemmed from Loomis’ history of memorable moves up draft boards in years past. Dating back to his first draft with the Saints in 2003, Loomis has negotiated moves up for players like Johnathan Sullivan, Jammal Brown (2005), Sedrick Ellis (2008), Mark Ingram (2011), Brandin Cooks (2014), Stephone Anthony (2015), Marcus Davenport (2018), and Chris Olave (2022). Loomis did admit that the team was looking to make moves up on Day 2 of this year’s draft, but concerning the first round, he told reporters that the cost to move up would’ve been too high while knowing a player they really liked would fall to them at No. 8.
Here are a few other draft rumors coming out of the NFC:
- The Buccaneers were considered big winners on Day 1 of the draft after walking away with Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. 15 picks into the first round. They had no clue that Bain would end up slipping just that far, but somehow, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports, they were able to come away with a player that general manager Jason Licht told reporters was a top-five player on their board.
- The Cowboys ended up making a trade up one spot — from pick 12 to 11 — in order to ensure nobody would trade in front of them for Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, they also attempted to make a move up to No. 9 overall in a deal that would’ve affected their second first-round pick, as well. Per Machota, Dallas offered Cleveland pick Nos. 12 and 20 with a fifth-rounder in exchange for Cleveland’s pick Nos. 9 and 24. The Browns were not interested. It’s unclear if Downs still would have been the target had the deal gone through. Machota also notes that, if the Cowboys hadn’t been able to move back from 20th to 23rd, they still would’ve taken UCF’s Malachi Lawrence. If Lawrence was gone by 23, though, then they would’ve pivoted to Georgia linebacker CJ Allen, who ended up going to the Colts at No. 53.
- In 2025, there was a holdout of second-round picks as players pushed for guaranteed money that hadn’t made it past the first round until only recently. There was — and still is — some anticipation about where that line might get drawn in this year’s draft, but a few team’s have moved quickly to draw the line at their own third-round picks. Last year, increased guarantees made it all the way through the second round with Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba being the latest pick to receive any. Even the first pick of the third round, Giants defensive tackle Darius Alexander, received only his signing bonus as guaranteed money. So far, only four third-rounders have signed deals this year, and Packers defensive tackle Chris McClellan is the earliest of the four. His deal’s only guaranteed money is his signing bonus. With Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck standing at the top of the third round, though, it will be interesting to see if there is any kind of push for guarantees to start making their way back into the third round.
2027 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker
May 1 marked the deadline for teams to decide on fifth-year options on 2023 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of performance- and usage-based benchmarks:
- Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
- One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
- Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th top salaries at their position:
- At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
- A 75% snap average across all three seasons
- At least 50% in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position
PFR’s Offseason Outlook series examined each of these decisions in-depth. Twenty-two options were exercised this year. Here is how each team with an option decision proceeded with 2023 first-round contracts:
- QB Bryce Young, Panthers ($25.9MM): Exercised
- QB C.J. Stroud, Texans ($25.9MM): Exercised
- DE Will Anderson Jr., Texans ($21.51MM): Exercised
- QB Anthony Richardson, Colts ($22.48MM): Declined
- CB Devon Witherspoon, Seahawks ($21.16MM): Exercised
- LT Paris Johnson Jr., Cardinals ($19.07MM): Exercised
- DE Tyree Wilson, Saints ($14.48MM): Declined
- RB Bijan Robinson, Falcons ($11.32MM): Exercised
- DT Jalen Carter, Eagles ($27.13MM): Exercised
- RT Darnell Wright, Bears ($19.07MM): Exercised
- G Peter Skoronski, Titans ($19.07MM): Exercised
- RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions ($14.29MM): Exercised
- LB Lukas Van Ness, Packers ($13.75MM): Exercised
- LT Broderick Jones, Steelers ($19.07MM): Declined
- DE Will McDonald, Jets ($13.75MM): Exercised
- CB Emmanuel Forbes, Rams ($12.63MM): Declined
- CB Christian Gonzalez, Patriots ($18.12MM): Exercised
- LB Jack Campbell, Lions ($21.93MM): Declined
- DL Calijah Kancey, Buccaneers ($14.48MM): Exercised
- WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks ($23.85MM): Exercised
- WR Quentin Johnston, Chargers ($18MM): Exercised
- WR Zay Flowers, Ravens ($27.3MM): Exercised
- WR Jordan Addison, Vikings ($18MM): Exercised
- CB Deonte Banks, Giants ($12.63MM): Declined
- TE Dalton Kincaid, Bills ($8.16MM): Exercised
- DT Mazi Smith, Jets ($13.93MM): Declined
- RT Anton Harrison, Jaguars ($19.07MM): Exercised
- DE Myles Murphy, Bengals ($14.48MM): Declined
- DT Bryan Bresee, Saints ($13.93MM): Exercised
- LB Nolan Smith, Eagles ($13.75MM): Exercised
- DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Chiefs ($14.48MM): Declined