The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have executed two of the most successful veteran quarterback additions of the 2020s in Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield. There have been a couple of other noteworthy signings for the team in unrestricted free agency in this decade, including guard Ben Bredeson and kicker Chase McLaughlin, but for the most part the Buccaneers have busied themselves at this time of the year with re-signing their own potential free agents.

There's a good chance that trend continues in 2026. The free agency period begins soon, on March 11, and the Buccaneers have 17 of their own players who could become unrestricted free agents (UFAs). General Manager Jason Licht noted at the NFL Scouting Combine last week that the Bucs "have not closed the door" on trying to bring back any of them. Given those potential expenditures and the fact that, according to Spotrac, the Bucs currently have a bit over $11 million of cap space at their disposal, a shopping spree seems unlikely.

With that caveat noted, there are some potential UFAs on other teams who look like they could be a fit in Tampa based on the team's roster needs. What follows is not meant to reflect any knowledge of the actual thoughts and strategies of Licht, Head Coach Todd Bowles or any of the people on their respective staffs. Licht and company, in fact, cannot comment publicly on any players currently under contract with another team. This is merely the author's exercise in noting six specific team needs and suggesting free agents who could help fill them.

Because of the aforementioned cap restrictions, we are not going to be shopping at the high end of the market. Using last offseason as an example, former Eagles defensive lineman Milton Williams got a deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $26 million from the Patriots to top the market. Elsewhere, former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold got a three-year deal with an AAV of $33.5 million from Seattle, former Steelers tackle Dan Morgan landed an AAV of $20.5 million from the Titans, former Eagles edge Josh Sweat got a $19.1 million AAV from the Cardinals, etc.

As such, we have only chosen potential UFAs whose estimated AAVs, again according to Spotrac, are below $10 million. We'll note that AAV in each player section, along with what their age will be at the start of the 2026 season and one key stat that could interest the Buccaneers. The six players are presented in no particular order.

1. EDGE K'Lavon Chaisson

• 2025 team: New England Patriots

• Age at start of 2026 season: 27

• Spotrac estimated AAV: $8.9 million

• Key 2025 Stat: 7.5 sacks

The Buccaneers, of course, need help at the outside linebacker position, particularly with Haason Reddick a pending UFA. Yaya Diaby led the team in 2025 with 7.0 sacks and still appears to be a player on the rise, but no other edge rusher on the team had more than 3.0 sacks. The Bucs may very well address that position in the draft, perhaps even with the 15th overall pick if the board falls right, but wouldn't preclude them from making another addition in free agency. While Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson is expected to be the top name on the market, his estimated AAV is around $25.5 million.

Chaisson didn't necessarily produce what the Jaguars were hoping in four seasons after they made him the 20th overall pick in the 2020 draft, as he accumulated just 5.0 sacks in that span. However, he has returned good value on a pair of low-end one-year deals the past two seasons in Las Vegas and New England. While playing just 52% of the snaps for the Raiders in 2024, he produced 5.0 sacks, two passes defensed and a forced fumble. He was even better in a somewhat larger role for the AFC Champion Patriots last year, playing 67% of the snaps and finishing with 7.5 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, two passes defensed and two forced fumbles in 16 outings.According to NFL Next Gen Stats he also had 52 quarterback pressures and a fine pressure rateof 14.2%

Notably, Chaisson will still be only 27 years old throughout the 2026 season. Some teams may believe he is a late-bloomer who still has the skills of a first-round pick.

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2. LB Devin Bush

• 2025 team: Cleveland Browns

• Age at start of 2026 season: 28

• Spotrac estimated AAV: $8.9 million

• Key 2025 Stat: 3 interceptions

As Bowles noted at the Combine, the Buccaneers currently have just two linebackers under contract for the 2026 season, SirVocea Dennis and Nick Jackson, and neither are guaranteed a starting spot come September. Dennis did start 16 games in 2025 but had some issues in coverage over the middle of the field. Bowles said that Dennis could remain a starter going forward but that he would definitely face competition for the job. Meanwhile, franchise legend Lavonte David is still mulling over whether or not to continue his career after 14 seasons.

Bush is another former first-round pick who later found his footing with another team. The Steelers snagged the former Michigan star with the 10th overall pick in 2019 and he started out strong, finishing third in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting that year. Injuries limited him to five games in 2020, however, and his production slipped over the next several campaigns. After one year and three starts in Seattle in 2023, Bush went to Cleveland in 2024 and last year exploded with by far the most productive season of his career. IN addition to 125 tackles and seven tackles for loss, he racked up three interceptions, which he returned for a league-leading 164 yards and two touchdowns. He also recorded 2.0 sacks, broke up eight passes and forced two fumbles.

If the Buccaneers are to make an addition at off-ball linebacker in free agency, they likely willlook for a player who has demonstrated strong coverage skills. According to NGS, Bush allowed an average of 4.9 yards when targeted as the nearest defender in 2025; the league average for linebackers was 7.0 yards. He also allowed a completion rate over expected (CPOE) of -2.16, a figure well above league average as well.

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3. TE Isaiah Likely

• 2025 team: Baltimore Ravens

• Age at start of 2026 season: 26

• Spotrac estimated AAV: $8.8 million

• Key 2025 Stat: 8.5 yards per target

The Buccaneers could have a big need at tight end if they do not re-sign their own incumbent starter, Cade Otton. Ko Kieft is also a pending UFA, though he is not a part of the passing attack anyway. Some draft analysts have paired the Bucs with Oregon's dynamic tight end, Kenyon Sadiq, at the 15th pick, but more pressing needs on defense could block that from happening.

While Likely hasn't ruled out re-signing with the Ravens he has made it clear that he is looking for an opportunity to be a primary target in a good offense after four seasons playing behind number-one tight end Mark Andrews. In those four seasons, Likely averaged 48.5 targets, 33.8 receptions and 392 yards while scoring a total of 15 touchdowns.

The 6-4, 245-pound Likely is an athletic tight end best known for his pass catching and ability to stretch the field. He has also been a very productive weapon for the Ravens near the goal line. While he actually put up career lows in catches (27), yards (307) and touchdowns (one) in 2025, the underlying numbers suggest he was still a dynamic weapon. His yards-per-target (YPT) rate was actually the second-best of his career, at 8.5. As points of comparison, Andrews' YPT in 2025 was 6.0 and Otton's was 7.1. Likely have a better YPT figure than two other prominent pending free agents, Philadelphia's Dallas Goedert (7.2) and Cleveland's David Njoku (6.1).

4. DL John Franklin-Myers

• 2025 team: Denver Broncos

• Age at start of 2026 season: 29

• Spotrac estimated AAV: $7.8 million

• Key 2025 Stat: 7.5 sacks

Logan Hall and Greg Gaines are both pending UFAs, and Hall started 16 games and played 58% of the defensive snaps in 2025, so there could be a sizeable chunk of playing time available on the Bucs' defensive front. In addition, 2023 first-round pick Calijah Kancey has missed time due to injuries in each of his first three seasons and Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea, while still going strong with 17.0 sacks over the past three seasons, is entering his ninth season. Licht has never been shy about addressing that position early in the draft, but the Bucs might also be able to find some useful help on the free agent market.

One would suspect the Broncos would be eager to keep Franklin-Myers, who had 7.5 sacks last season and 7.0 the year before. If he does hit free agency, though, he could be a valuable addition to any team looking for an interior defender who can get after the quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, Franklin-Myers generated 95 quarterback pressures over the past two seasons, playoffs included. He's no liability against the run, either, with 16 run stops and a run-stop rate of 12.8% that are both above league average.

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5. RB Tyler Allgeier

• 2025 team: Atlanta Falcons

• Age at start of 2026 season: 26

• Spotrac estimated AAV: $5.7 million

• Key 2025 Stat: 8 rushing touchdowns

The Bucs are anticipating that Bucky Irving will be fully healthy and back to his 2024 rookieform after a 2025 season marred by injuries, so they do have a lead man in the backfield. That same expectation could prompt Rachaad White to look for a fresh opportunity elsewhere as he prepares to hit free agency for the first time. Sean Tucker is due to become a restricted free agentbut teams usually manage to keep RFAs if they are motivated to do so.

The Buccaneers found Irving in the fourth round, White in the third round and Tucker in undrafted free agency, so there's reason to believe they could pump up the position in April without having to use one of their first couple picks. However, they could try to solve the problem first in free agency. Allgeier is a common projection as a player who might interest the Bucs simply because they just hired his offensive coordinator of the past two seasons, Zac Robinson.

Robinson also had Bijan Robinson, perhaps the league's best running back, at his disposal but he still found a way to get Allgeier 280 carries over the past two seasons. That resulted in 11,58 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 27 passes for another 184 yards. At 5-10 and 225 pounds, Allgeier is a thicker back who has obviously been used to great effect around the goal-line, and that could make for a good complement to Irving. He also has a good feel for when to hit the gap when running in outside zone, something that is expected to be a part of Robinson's ground game approach.

Overall in the four seasons since the Falcons made him a fifth-round pick, Allgeier has averaged 4.3 yards per carry and shown that he can be a very productive complementary back.

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6. CB Chidobe Awuzie

• 2025 team: Baltimore Ravens

• Age at start of 2026 season: 31

• Spotrac estimated AAV: $1.3 million

• Key 2025 Stat: -7.2% completion rate over expected allowed (Next Gen Stats)

Do the Buccaneers need additional depth at cornerback. That could be true if Jamel Dean departs in free agency after seven seasons in Tampa. On paper, that would leave the Bucs going into 2026 with a top corner trio of Zyon McCollum and last year's pair of Day Two draft picks, Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish. There's a lot to like about that starting three, but recent seasons have shown over and over again that it usually takes more depth at cornerback than that to make it through a 17-game season. The Buccaneers appear to know this, using free agency in recent seasons to add veteran depth in the likes of Bryce Hall, Tavierre Thomas and Kindle Vildor. They may choose to make a modest signing such as that after the initial rush of free agency goes by.

Awuzie is the only player north of 30 years old on this list and he's bounced around in recent years, playing for Cincinnati in 2023, Tennessee in 2024 and Baltimore last season. The last time he started every game in a season was 2018, the second of his four years in Dallas. However, he played like an NFL starter last season for the Ravens and was on the field for 59% of their defensive snaps. According to PFF, he logged a 74.7 coverage grade, which was 15th among all NFL cornerbacks. He also broke up seven passes. NGS numbers also paint a positive picture, as Awuzie allowed an excellent CPOE of -7.2% and allowed a passer rating of 87.2 when he was the targeted defender.

Adding a veteran in the Awuzie mold for 2026 would give the Bucs a trusted option if any of their projected top three cornerbacks are unavailable for a stretch of time.