With the free agency period only days away, the Bucs have made their first internal re-signing, agreeing to a new one-year deal with safety Kaevon Merriweather, who was an exclusive-rights free agent. Fox Sports’ Greg Auman was first to report the news Friday morning.

It’s a cheap deal for Merriweather, who has provided solid safety depth for the Bucs over the last two seasons. As an exclusive-rights free agent, his deal is for the league minimum relative to his experience, which is $1.03 million in the case of the 25-year-old.

Kaevon Merriweather Played A Key Role For The Bucs Late In 2024

Bucs S Kaevon Merriweather – Photo by: USA Today

The 6-foot, 212-pound safety originally signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 2023. As a rookie, he played 164 snaps, finishing with a 55.4 grade from Pro Football Focus.

His run defense and tackling grades were in the 30s, but he turned in better marks in pass rush (65.1) and coverage (67.1). Of his 164 snaps as a rookie, he played 91 at free safety, with the next-most (48) coming in the box.

Merriweather ended up playing a key depth role for the Bucs late in the 2024 season. He was actually waived by the team in November and briefly signed with the Lions’ practice squad before returning to Tampa Bay in December.

He was needed down the stretch due to injuries at the safety position, and he played some of his best football when called upon. The former Iowa Hawkeye largely graded out average-to-above-average from Week 14 on. Here’s how things looked for him, according to PFF:

Week 14: 55 snaps, 62.5 overall grade, 67.4 run defense, 84.6 tackling, 77.4 pass rush, 55.6 coverage
Week 15: 52 snaps, 66.7 overall grade, 62.0 run defense, 77.2 tackling, 57.1 pass rush, 64.9 coverage
Week 16: 31 snaps, 64.2 overall grade, 64.6 run defense, 29.2 tackling, 70.4 pass rush, 57.1 coverage 
Week 17: 11 snaps, 66.0 overall grade, 60.0 run defense, 77.2 tackling, N/A pass rush, 64.2 coverage
Week 18: 66 snaps, 68.9 overall grade, 47.9 run defense, 47.3 tackling, 65.9 pass rush, 70.2 coverage

Merriweather only played 14 snaps in the Wild Card loss to the Commanders, though he graded out well with a 67.4 overall mark, including a 75.2 tackling grade.

Over 274 snaps on the season, he posted a 66.5 overall grade, with a 62.2 run defense grade, a 66.5 tackling mark, an 82.1 pass rush grade, and a coverage grade of 62.9. He cut his missed tackle rate in half from his rookie year and finished the campaign with 17 tackles (11 solo), one sack, a fumble recovery and a pass defensed in 14 games (five starts).

Kaevon Merriweather’s 2025 Role With The Bucs Remains TBD

Bucs S Kaevon Merriweather – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This is the second move the Bucs have made regarding the safety position this offseason, with the first coming in the form of cutting ties with Jordan Whitehead just one year after he returned to the team. At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles said they’ve discussed the possibility of moving Tykee Smith to safety this season after he played the majority of his rookie campaign at nickel cornerback.

If Tampa Bay does make that move, it set up Smith and Antoine Winfield Jr. to be the team’s starting safeties, and Kaevon Merriweather would remain a key depth piece at the position. However, given the cheap price tag on the third-year safety, re-signing him for a year doesn’t preclude the Bucs from adding another safety to bolster the room this offseason.

With that being said, Bowles was pleased with the way Merriweather played down the stretch in 2024 and is clearly a fan of him, so it’s likely that the 25-year-old remains a part of the room in some form or fashion this season.