Tampa Bay Buccaneers

BUCCANEERS EXERCISE FIFTH-YEAR OPTION ON CALIJAH KANCEY

Apr 27, 2026 at 03:18 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced today that the team has exercised the fifth-year contract option on defensive lineman Calijah Kancey.

Kancey (6-0, 280) will enter his fourth season with the Buccaneers in 2026 after being drafted by Tampa Bay in the first round (No. 19 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. Kancey has appeared in 29 games, with 28 starts, over three seasons, recording 55 tackles (22 tackles for loss), 30 quarterback hits, 11.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed. Kancey is 1-of-11 interior defensive linemen to average more than one quarterback hit per game since the start of the 2023 season.

In games in which Kancey played in during the 2025 season, the Buccaneers limited opponents to 57.3 rushing yards per game and 2.8 yards per rush. In 2024, he led the team with a career-high 7.5 sacks and was 1-of-2 players in the NFL to record a quarterback hit in 10+ consecutive games during the season, joining Danielle Hunter. As a rookie in 2023, Kancey earned NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month in November. He finished his rookie campaign tied for second among all rookies with 10 tackles for loss.

Prior to his time in Tampa Bay, Kancey played four seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned unanimous All-American honors in 2022, becoming just the 13th player in program history to achieve the distinction. He was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, joining Aaron Donald in 2013 as the only Panthers to earn the award.

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