Recapping the Buccaneers' busy first week of free agency

The NFL free agency legal tampering period kicked off on Monday and the Bucs wasted no time, securing players to help their 2025 Super Bowl aspirations.

The team got a head start on Friday, agreeing to terms with veteran linebacker Lavonte David on a one-year $10 million deal. David was mulling over retirement, but he felt like he had more left in the tank — and after his 2024 performance, it's easy to agree.

Before the clock struck noon on Monday, the first thing on the to-do list for general manager Jason Licht was re-signing starting left guard Ben Bredeson. The Bucs locked up the veteran offensive linemen on a value deal, especially when seeing some of the numbers come out for lesser or equal players, signing him for three years at $7.5 million per season.

Next up was pass-rush help. The Bucs quickly pounced on free agent outside linebacker Haason Reddick, signing him to a one-year deal for $14 million with $12 million guaranteed. Reddick is coming off of a down year after a wild saga with the New York Jets after they acquired him from the Eagles. Reddick was expecting a contract extension, but the Jets would not budge which led to a holdout into the season. However, Reddick had four straight seasons of 10 or more sacks and has 17 career forced fumbles.

The biggest news of the day was the return of wide receiver Chris Godwin. The Bucs inked one of the best receivers in their franchise history to a three-year deal worth $66 million with $44 million of it guaranteed. According to multiple reports, Godwin turned down $20 million more from the Patriots to stay in Tampa Bay. The Bucs bet on Godwin the last time he went down, rewarding him with a long-term deal, and this time Godwin repaid that loyalty on a deal worth less to stay in Tampa.

The next morning saw the Bucs bring in another outside free agent, agreeing to terms on a two-year $6 million deal with punter Riley Dixon. The team went through three punters last season and Dixon provides an upgrade to the room after finishing top 10 in the NFL in net yards per punt in 2024. Tampa Bay wasn't done for the day, next agreeing to terms with Anthony Nelson on a two-year deal worth up to $12 million. Nelson is the steady presence in the room who can make plays and eat snaps on special teams.

Wednesday was another day of the Bucs keeping their own guys with defensive linemen C.J. Brewer and Greg Gaines both agreeing to one-year deals to return to the club, capped off by the Bucs securing their backup quarterback Kyle Trask returning on a one-year deal. Assistant general manager Mike Greenberg got creative for Trask's contract using a rare salary cap loophole. Trask received a four-year player-qualifying contract. The deal can only be used when re-signing a 4+-year veteran. He'll get $2.78 million but will only count $1.34 million against the cap.

Thursday saw the arrivals of some new faces for the Bucs, adding veteran depth to both sides of the ball. Former Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor was the first to sign with the team. Vildor has 26 starts over his career and was a middle school and high school teammate with Yaya Diaby.

Next came a swap of free agent linebackers as the Dolphins signed K.J. Britt to a one-year deal and the Bucs signed Anthony Walker to a one-year deal themselves. Walker had a down year but is much better in coverage than Britt and boasts 83 career starts. The day was capped off with the signing of swing tackle Charlie Heck after Justin Skule left for the Vikings. Heck has 23 starts, mostly at right tackle, but started two games for the 49ers last year at left tackle.

The Bucs wrapped up the first week of free agency on Friday with general manager Jason Licht taking to X to break the news himself that wide receiver Sterling Shepard was returning on a one-year deal. It was revealed later that Licht was out on a boat with the rest of his front office to celebrate the end of free agency's first week.

The Bucs continue to find value in free agency and maintain a priority of keeping their own guys they develop while sprinkling in low-risk signings to supplement the roster. I doubt the Bucs are done adding to the roster before the draft with depth needs at safety, interior offensive line and cornerback, but those will likely come on one-year, cost-effective deals.

With the bulk of free agency over for the Bucs, all eyes shift to April and the NFL Draft. The Buccaneers have set themselves up to where they can attack the board in a multitude of ways, although needs at linebacker and corner still loom large.