The Bucs re-signing Jamel Dean to a four-year, $52 million deal allowes the Bucs to keep one of the best cornerback duos in the league – Carlton Davis III and Dean – intact. Davis signed a three-year contract last offseason that pays him over $14 million a year, while Dean’s new deal is for a year longer and pays him an average of $13 million per season.

Dean’s return came as a little bit of a surprise considering there was a chance that he would be the highest paid corner in the free agency market. But Dean loves playing in the state Florida, playing for Todd Bowles and playing with Davis.

This isn’t the first time that Davis are reuniting, though – or even the second.

They have been together on many occasions and multiple stops in their football careers.

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

“It’s a great feeling (playing with Davis again)  because me and Carlton have been following each other since high school,” Dean said during his press conference on Thursday. “It was crazy, in the All-American game in California, he was actually my roommate. And then we went our separate ways in college. I went to Ohio State, he was committed to Ohio State, too. I just early enrolled. Things didn’t work out there, we both end up at Auburn together. He left early to go to the draft. I tried to get him to stay another year but he wouldn’t do it.

“Once he got to the Bucs obviously I was excited for him, then next year I get a phone call from Jason, and I was like ‘What? I’m really back with Carlton again?’ We just can’t get away from each other, can we? I just feel like, me and him, we have that great bond. We know how to work together with each other. It’s going to be exciting.”

Jamel Dean’s Decision Helped By Talking With Carlton Davis III

The two corners have played together for four years since Jamel Dean joined the Bucs in 2019 as a third-round pick after Davis had already played in Tampa Bay for a season. They’ve helped piece together one of top-tiered defenses in football. The Bucs also know that they’ll have this group together for at least two more seasons when Davis’ contract is up in 2024.

Bucs DC Todd Bowles and CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: USA Today

Playing together was important for both teammates. While Carlton Davis III may not have exactly put the pressure on the Bucs to get a deal completed with Dean, his conversation to him may have helped Dean sway his interest back to the Bucs as he looked around at other teams.

“Carlton called me and was like, ‘They really want you,'” Davis said. “And I was like, ‘Okay.’ They really leaned towards my favorite now.”

Along with re-signing Lavonte David and Anthony Nelson, the Bucs have brought back a core group of players on the defensive side. They were the reason that Tampa Bay was in so many games last season and it looks like the defense has a chance to be the strength of the team again this season with their return.