The Bucs’ 2025 season is over. Their playoff hopes went out with a whimper as the New Orleans Saints – sitting their starters, and their backups, and the backups to their backups – lost to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 18.

Now Tampa Bay must turn the page to 2026. While there is still plenty up in the air regarding who will fill some of the vacancies on the coaching staff, including offensive coordinator, shaping the roster will be just as important.

In what has become an annual tradition let’s review the Bucs from a financial health standpoint.

Bucs 2026 Salary Cap Space

According to the NFL Players Association’s public salary cap report, the Bucs will be rolling over $15,723,758 from 2025 to 2026. For right now let’s assume the salary cap for next year will be $301,500,000. This puts Tampa Bay’s team salary cap at $317,223,758. With $274,001,195 in total cap liabilities as of right now, the team is expected to have $43,222,563 in cap space.

Bucs assistant GM Mike Greenberg – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Veteran Contracts That Can Be Restructured

The Bucs have no shortage of cap space they can create if they so choose. The following veteran contracts can be restructured along with the max cap savings that can be created. These are the base salaries I’m talking about:

• QB Baker Mayfield – $19,275,000
• LT Tristan Wirfs – $18,588,750
• WR Chris Godwin – $15,525,000
• RT Luke Goedeke – $15,206,250
• S Antoine Winfield Jr. – $13,713,750
• CB Zyon McCollum – $8,579,333
• DT Vita Vea – $7,850,000
• LG Ben Bredeson – $4,713,750
• OLB Anthony Nelson – $2,400,000

In total, they can open up $105,851,833 in cap space through these nine contract restructures. I don’t expect them to touch all of these guys’ contracts.

If the team needs space, I expect the order they will proceed in to be Wirfs, Goedeke, Winfield Jr. and Bredeson. Mayfield is already set to be a $30 million dead cap in 2027. I doubt the team wants to increase that number should they decide to pivot away from their current starting quarterback at the end of his deal whether due to possible injury or potential ineffectiveness.

Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs have chosen not to restructure Vea’s deal in either 2024 or 2025. That’s a signal they are preparing for a post-Vea world and don’t want a significant dead cap hit associated with his potential departure in 2027 when he will turn 32. McCollum had a down year after signing a three-year, $48 million contract extension. As long as the Bucs don’t restructure any of his $12,869,000 roster bonus in 2026, they could walk away from him in 2027 if he doesn’t improve next year.

Godwin had bright moments this year in his recovery from a broken ankle in 2024, but finished the season with just nine games played, 33 catches, 360 yards and two touchdowns. General manager Jason Licht has said that re-signing him was a move for beyond 2025, considering the ankle injury he was coming back from. And so the hope is in 2026 that he can return to the high-volume target he was prior to that injury.

Yet I would not be surprised if Tampa Bay hedges its bets by not restructuring his deal – paving the way for a what would functionally be a team option in 2027.

Bucs’ Cash Commitments

If you’ve been reading my work (and I hope you have!) you know that it’s cash spending that limits team maneuvers more often than salary cap constraints. That’s why it is important to understand the Bucs’ likely cash budget along with what cash commitments they are already tied to.

Bucs assistant GM Mike Greenberg and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay has historically tied its cash spending budget to the salary cap, so let’s assume the final number comes in at no more than $305 million. The 38 players currently under contract for 2026 represent $213,778,356 in cash commitments. That leaves them with $91,221,644 in cash space.

The Bucs will need roughly $28.5 million in cash for their draft class leaving them with $62.7 million left. Assume eight more players at league minimum to fill out a 53-man roster, and we get to roughly $56.6 million left for improving their roster and in-season reserves to help mitigate injury and roster management. Let’s assume $7.6 million for the latter, and the Bucs are left with $49 million to work with.

Potential Extensions

Tampa Bay’s 2023 draft class produced three players who have developed into starters. Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, right guard Cody Mauch and outside linebacker Yaya Diaby have all established themselves as talented pieces on the Bucs roster. All three players are eligible for contract extensions this offseason.

Kancey and Mauch are both coming off of significant injuries that cost them the majority of the 2025 season. For Kancey, injuries have been a fact of life since he came into the league. As such, I doubt the team is looking to extend either of them unless they come at an extreme discount, which is unlikely. It will be interesting to see if Kancey’s fifth-year option is picked up by Tampa Bay.

Diaby is an interesting situation. According to Pro Football Focus’ measurements, among edge rushers with at least 300 pass rush snaps over the past two years he is tied for ninth in pressures (127), 19th in pressure rate (14.13%), and tied for 26th in sacks (15). That’s a quality player! You can debate whether he is an alpha, could become an alpha, or will never be an alpha – but Yaya is a good player who would start on 30 teams in the NFL. That seems worthy of an extension.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: USA Today

Should Diaby get an extension this offseason he should be able to build off the recent deals inked by Buffalo’s Gregory Rousseau and Kansas City’s George Karlaftis. That puts him right around $22.5 million per year. A four-year extension with even cash flows would represent a $16 million cash increase for him.

Then there is quarterback Baker Mayfield. All signs were pointing to him and the Bucs working to an extension this offseason. But Mayfield and the offense regressed in 2025. Does Jason Licht and company want to extend their ties to Mayfield coming off of a down year at a cost of $50 million per year? If they do it will cost them another $10 million in cash in 2026 above what they already owe him.

If the Buccaneers extend just Diaby – they’ll have $33 million left to spend in free agency

If the Buccaneers extend just Baker – they’ll have $39 million left to spend in free agency

If the Buccaneers extend both – they’ll have $23 million left to spend in free agency

I’m betting the team pauses all extensions this offseason and focuses on bringing in external talent.

Pending Free Agents

The Bucs have a handful of notable pending free agents. Focusing just on starters or significant contributors they are wide receiver Mike Evans, tight end Cade Otton, running back Rachaad White, outside linebacker Haason Reddick, inside linebacker Lavonte David, cornerback Jamel Dean and defensive tackle Logan Hall. Here are my quick APY (average per year) valuations for each player.

• WR Mike Evans – $18 million
• TE Cade Otton – $12.5 million
• RB Rachaad White – $5.75 million
• OLB Haason Reddick – $8 million
• ILB Lavonte David – $7.5 million
• DT Logan Hall – $7.5 million
• CB Jamel Dean – $15 million

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Sam Navarro

That’s almost $75 million across seven players. White has posted numerous messages across his social media accounts that he has played his last snap in Tampa Bay. Odds are David is riding off into the sunset of retirement at age 36. Dean, Hall and Reddick are incredibly doubtful to return. That leaves Evans – if he doesn’t hang up his cleats either – and maybe Otton. Those players would need to be balanced against external free agents.

There you go. Call it $50 million for Tampa Bay to spend in free agency.

Mike Evans and who else?