Buccaneers May Have Drafted ‘First Round Talent’ to Replace $52 Million CB

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sent a clear message to their secondary when they selected cornerbacks in consecutive rounds in the 2025 NFL draft, with Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison in the second round (No. 53 overall) and Kansas State’s Jacob Parrish in the third round (No. 84 overall).

The message was that outside of NFL All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr., everyone is expendable.

It’s the addition of Morrison that seems to be the most notable. It should also be the move that opens the Buccaneers up to finally trade veteran cornerback Jamel Dean, who still has 2 seasons left on the 4-year, $52 million contract extension he signed in March 2023.

Dean has been at the center of trade rumors since the end of the season after missing 9 games over the last 2 seasons — a stretch where he’s only had 1 interception after recording 7 interceptions over the 4 seasons leading up to his extension.

With another young, promising cornerback to play alongside Morrison on the roster in Zyon McCollum, the time is now for the Buccaneers to try and recoup some of their investment in Dean by finding a cornerback-needy team as a trade partner.

Dean Called One of NFL’s ‘Most Overpaid Players’

Dean’s performance the last 2 seasons landed him on Bleacher Report’s list of the NFL’s “Most Overpaid Players” headed into the 2025 season.

“The six-year veteran was frequently burned in coverage in 2023 and was not a No. 1-caliber corner last year,” Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon wrote. “He isn’t much of a playmaker, either (three interceptions total in the last three seasons), and he’s simply not living up to a four-year, $52 million contract.”

Dean, 28 years old, is scheduled to make a base salary of $12.5 million in 2025 and $13 million in 2026.

Buccaneers Got ‘First Round Talent’ in Morrison

Morrison, the son of former NFL safety Darryl Morrison, was projected to be the first cornerback taken in the draft headed into 2024 but only played 6 games because of a hip injury that required surgery.

The Buccaneers could end up being the team that benefits the most. Don’t forget that Winfield went from being a second round pick (No. 45 overall) in the 2020 NFL draft to the highest paid safety in NFL history when he signed a 4-year, $84.1 million contract extension in May 2024.

“I would say he’s a first-round talent,” Tampa BayAssistant General Manager Mike Biehl told Buccaneers.com. “The injury certainly factored into it, I would think, for a lot of people this year. We’re just excited to get him. He brings a lot to the table as a player and, again, another high-character kid who will fit in really good in this class with [first-round pick] Emeka Egbuka. He can play inside, he can play outside, he’s got the versatility to play man and zone. He’s shown the ability to play a lot of different techniques and he should be really good.”

Morrison had 9 interceptions through his first 2 seasons at Notre Dame and will receive a 4-year, $8.2 million rookie contract, according to Spotrac. The first cornerback taken in the draft, Jahdae Barron, was taken at No. 19 overall by the Denver Broncos and will receive a 4-year, $18 million contract.