The Bucs have cautiously allocated their funds since splurging during the team’s last Super Bowl Window. That has put them in a position with the salary cap to again push some chips into the middle of the table to capitalize on the window they have now.

Tampa Bay took care of its own by first re-signing wide receiver Chris Godwin and left guard Ben Bredeson to three-year deals. 

They also made a big splash free-agent signing with outside linebacker Haason Reddick agreeing to a one-year, $14 million deal. Reddick was a two-time Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023, tallying 27 sacks over those two seasons and 50.5 sacks over the last four seasons.

Things did not work out in New York last year, but joining the Bucs is just what both sides needed.

Haason Reddick Comes In Motivated To Work And Secure A Payday

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: USA Today

After the stretch he had to begin his NFL career with the Cardinals, Panthers, and Eagles, Haason Reddick wanted security in the form of a long-term contract when he was traded to the Jets last offseason. Reddick told New York that he would be fine playing out the rest of his deal, but then he decided to hold out.

That costed him the first seven games of the season before he ultimately returned. He did not perform to his previous levels, with just one sack in ten games as being out of action caused him to be rusty.

With that being the case, expect him to show up motivated and ready to work with the Bucs this season. This is not the same kind of signing the team made last offseason with Randy Gregory, who never showed up after signing his one-year, $3 million deal. Gregory fizzled out with the Broncos and sued the NFL last June. With his history of character concerns and lackluster production, the team cut its losses and moved on. 

Reddick is a different story.

The 30-year old pass rusher played in every game from 2017-2023 and will be looking to bounce back and secure the payday he has coveted. He previously had the production to match, and with every player’s earning potential numbered, a big year with the Bucs could still secure him a multi-year deal. His hunger to earn a big deal should be considered a motivating factor, and one that will not be as big of distraction.

Reddick needs to earn everything he gets from this point on, and he will have every chance to in an outside linebacker room lacking high-end talent outside of Yaya Diaby.

Haason Reddick Will Lead Bucs’ OLB Room, Has Connections To Coaching Staff

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

Haason Reddick is just the type of player Bucs head coach Todd Bowles mentioned he wanted to add at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.

“Right now for me, I want ballhawks,” Bowles said last month. “Whether that’s a down guy, a defensive lineman, whether he bats balls down or gets strip sacks. Whether that’s an outside linebacker, whether that’s a backer that can punch the ball out and get turnovers. Whether that’s a safety that can hit and jar the ball loose and get turnovers.”

Reddick is exactly what the doctor ordered in that regard.

In addition to his elite sack output, he can jar the ball loose with the best of them. Look no further than back in 2020, when he forced six fumbles in his last season with the Cardinals. In 2022, Reddick led the NFL with five forced fumbles during a year in which he finished fourth in AP Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick and Bills QB Josh Allen – Photo by: USA Today

Bowles will also be happy to know that the veteran outside linebacker is a player cut from a similar cloth as him. Like his new defensive playcaller, Reddick is a Temple alum. They also share the same home state, having grown up in New Jersey. That will help the two quickly bond, and he will have the chance to do the same with outside linebackers coach Larry Foote.

Foote was Reddick’s linebackers coach during the first two years of his career with the Cardinals. Drafted as an inside linebacker in the first round back in 2017, the first person in his ear will be the same person pushing him to have a big season.

It took a position switch to fully unlock Reddick’s abilities, but those same skills have helped him develop into a premier pass rusher. He is quick and powerful, displaying a blend of those traits in the moves he uses to regularly get after the quarterback. 

Haason Reddick will have every reason to get after opposing quarterback’s more than ever before next season. With it coming at a time the Bucs’ outside pass rush desperately needs it, all signs point to this being a perfect pairing and the kind of bet general manager Jason Licht saw being worth spending some money making.