Tampa Bay Buccaneers

SIMEON RICE MOVES FORWARD IN PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2026 VOTING PROCESS

Dominant Pass Rusher Is One of 52 Modern-Era Players to Advance to Next Round of Voting

Oct 22, 2025 at 12:11 PM

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced today that Simeon Rice – one of the most prolific pass rushers in NFL history, and a key figure in Tampa Bay's Super Bowl XXXVII championship run – has advanced to the next round of voting for the Hall of Fame's Class of 2026. Rice, who will be inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor on Sunday, Nov. 30 during the game against the Arizona Cardinals, is one of 52 modern-era players to advance in the voting process.

Rice spent six seasons in Tampa Bay (2001–2006), starting all 87 games he appeared in and producing 69.5 sacks – the third-highest total in franchise history behind Pro Football Hall of Famers Lee Roy Selmon and Warren Sapp. Rice led the Buccaneers in sacks during each of his first five years with the team, a feat matched only by Lee Roy Selmon (1976–81) and Gerald McCoy (2013–17). He remains one of the most prolific pass rushers in club history, accounting for five of the top 10 single-season sack totals, including three of the top five.

Across an eight-season span from 1998 through 2005, Rice collected a league-best 101.5 sacks – more than Hall of Fame peers such as Michael Strahan and Jason Taylor. Between 2001 and 2005, he produced at least 11.0 sacks each year, becoming only the fifth player in NFL history at the time to record double-digit sacks in five consecutive seasons with the same team. Overall, Rice logged eight career seasons with 10.0 or more sacks, tied for the seventh-most in NFL history and just behind a group of Pro Football Hall of Famers in Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Julius Peppers, Kevin Greene, John Randle, and Claude Humphrey.

Rice earned three Pro Bowl nods during his career, along with first-team All-Pro and two second-team All-Pro honors. He was named the 1996 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year after registering 12.5 sacks – tied for the second-highest rookie total in NFL history at the time, trailing only Hall of Famer Reggie White. He finished with 122.0 career sacks, ranking among the top 20 in league history at the time of his retirement. Rice also added 472 career tackles, 59 passes defensed, 34 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries and five interceptions. In seven career postseason contests – all starts – he recorded 23 tackles, 7.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, two passes defensed, and one fumble recovery.

Additional players with Buccaneers ties to advance in the voting process include Warrick Dunn (91 games played), Logan Mankins (31 games played), Lorenzo Neal (16 games played), Lomas Brown (11 games played) and LeSean McCoy (10 games).

In the next step of the voting process, each member of the Hall of Fame's selection committee will review the advancing 52 Modern-Era players and cast a vote for the 25 nominees each believes should advance to the semifinalist stage. The semifinalists will be announced in approximately five weeks, with the complete Class of 2026 enshrinees being announced prior to Super LX in Santa Clara, California.

-BUCCANEERS-

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