The Bucs have a roster filled with talented players. That is the reason why they have played postseason football five years in a row, have won the NFC South four years in a row, and are primed to do so once again this season. While offensive and defensive projections paint the picture of how things might look, players still need to step up on game day.

Especially Tampa Bay’s highest-paid players.

In a new mini-series examining which groups of players in various situations will be out on the field with something to prove, it is important to consider which big-name veterans will have chips on their shoulders and are vital to the team having success and reaching newfound heights in 2025.

Bucs Veterans Who Need To Prove Worthy Of Their Contracts

S Antoine Winfield Jr.

Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was paid in a historic sum in May 2024 after he inked a four-year, $84.1 million contract. At the time, it made him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. After an injury-riddled season, where he missed eight games and failed to live up to his 2023 All-Pro play, Winfield faces pressure to justify the massive investment Tampa Bay put in him.

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. Photo by: USA Today

Turning 27 next month, Winfield is in the prime of his career, but it is a tall task replicating or coming close to that 2023 campaign, where he recorded 122 total tackles, six sacks, six forced fumbles, and three interceptions. His knack for game-changing plays cemented his reputation as a franchise player as he elevated the defense in a major way. Without him and his heroics, one wonders if the Bucs make the postseason at all that year.

Yet, injuries – starting with a foot issue in Week 1 against Washington – derailed Winfield’s follow-up season from coming together in the same way. In the nine games he played, his numbers dipped to 60 total tackles, two sacks, and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. Heading into 2025, there is confidence in his ability to put it behind him and have a bounce- back season.

After so much offseason discussion surrounding how the defense is making adjustments to improve, it will only go as far as “AWJ” takes them. Head coach Todd Bowles’ defense needs its versatile, do-it-all safety to return to blitzing, covering, and forcing turnovers all over the field. His health and production will determine if he is worth every penny — or if his contract starts to become a sunk cost.

CB Jamel Dean

Jamel Dean is the other high-priced member of the secondary needing to showcase his worth. Playing on the four-year, $52 million contract extension he signed in March 2023, Dean was coming off a productive contract year where he looked like a shutdown cornerback that was only getting better. His own injuries have dampened hope in him leading the room going forward, as he played in just 12 games last season and has yet to play a full season.

There was talk of Dean being cut this offseason, but in a rising cornerback market, his contract was still viewed as a net positive.

Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Todd Bowles still surely likes his 6-foot-1 frame and 4.3 speed, especially if the defense reverts to more press and man coverage packages. A big knock on the unit in the past couple seasons has been the pass defense, which has ranked among the league’s worst.

Not only does Dean have to captain a turnaround with fellow starting cornerback Zyon McCollum, but he also needs to hold off second-round pick Benjamin Morrison from stealing his starting spot. Dean has a solid track record in coverage and holding his own against top wide receivers, but another injury-plagued year could jeopardize his long-term future in Tampa Bay. He is entering a make-or-break year that will either see him rise to the occasion or fall out of the cornerback picture come next offseason.

WR Chris Godwin Jr.

Chris Godwin Jr. was entrusted with another long-term deal coming off a severe injury. A dislocated ankle injury prematurely ended what was on pace to have a career year, and he enters this season needing to prove the injury is behind him. The Bucs believe in Godwin’s ability to do so after signing him to a three-year, $66 million contract, but he will need to hold up his end of the bargain.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin and GM Jason Licht, photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

From top to the bottom, Godwin is in a stacked wide receiver room that is among the NFL’s best. Still, Tampa Bay’s offense needs the “CG” who went on a tear through seven games in 2024 and had three straight 1,000-yard seasons. His presence was missed midseason last year, as quarterback Baker Mayfield went through a stretch with limited aerial weapons. That cost the team a chance at close wins that could have changed things in the postseason.

Things will be different for Godwin this season, and not just because he made a notable name change. With Josh Grizzard as the new offensive coordinator, it will change the offense to some extent. The veteran wide receiver still serves a pivotal role in what should remain a high-scoring attack, but can he be more than just a short-yardage threat and stretch the field when chances are taken downfield?

Everyone knows No. 14 is a sound route-runner and the perfect complement to wide receiver Mike Evans, but he is also 29 years old and twice removed from injuries that have wiped him out for extended periods of time. When he plays and what impact he has will be one of the biggest storylines to pay attention to.

OLB Haason Reddick

General manager Jason Licht has shown a reluctance to dips his toes into the free-agency waters much in recent years but decided to make a plunge by signing outside linebacker Haason Reddick to a one-year, prove-it deal worth $14 million – with $12 million guaranteed. Reddick’s signing is the kind of move made that signals making a deeper postseason push, but it does come with risk involved.

After being traded from the Eagles to the Jets last offseason, the two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher held out for a new contract before finally deciding to suit up. All that lost time played a factor in a drastic decline in performance, as he played in 10 games (only starting two) and recording just one sack.

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

Tampa Bay is betting on the “pissed off,” chip-on-his-shoulder version of Reddick to get back on track to being one of the league’s best bringing down the quarterback. Between 2020-2023, he recorded four straight double-digit sack seasons and had 50.5 sacks and 13 forced fumbles. A return to that production would be a boon to the Bucs outside pass rush at a level not seen since Shaq Barrett’s dominance in red and pewter. With his speed off the edge and relentless motor, he is a nightmare for quarterbacks and a perfect defensive fit on-paper.

His 2024 dip raised red flags, and he will soon be turning 31 years old. Reddick has a lot to prove and will be the difference in the Bucs outside pass rush wreaking havoc, or once again disappointing and not living up to the building offseason hype. Will he prove he is the missing piece of a team looking to make a Super Bowl run?