Which players will be returning to Tampa Bay in 2025?
NFL free agency is just a few short days away and for the Buccaneers, they have some questions that need answering in the coming days. While their list of unrestricted free agents is not how it was last year, there still are some important players that Tampa Bay has to decide whether to keep or not.
Let’s take a look at some of their pending free agents and predict whether they are going to remain in Tampa Bay or head elsewhere.
A quick disclaimer though is this is MY opinion. This is not sourced and does not reflect the opinions of anyone else on the BN writing staff, just what I think is going to happen. Let’s get into it!
The full list of free agents will be provided by Spotrac
WR Chris Godwin: Re-signs with Tampa Bay on a 3 year, 72 million dollar deal (24.0 AAV)
The Bucs are able to secure Godwin back in Tampa for another three seasons. I have no doubt that Godwin’s market could be robust and he could probably get a bit more than this from another team. With Tee Higgins receiving the franchise tag, Godwin is the best receiver available in free agency, but I think the Bucs know how valuable he is to what they want to do and with Mike Evans only having one more year left on his deal, they make sure to lock up Godwin long term.
The ankle injury does have some impact on this number. Had he not gotten hurt against Baltimore back in week 7, he would likely command a whole lot more than this especially since he was on pace to have a career year. I think the Bucs want Godwin back in Tampa and I think Godwin feels the same way.
ILB Lavonte David: Re-signs with Tampa Bay on a 1 year, 7 million dollar deal
I still think this is a coin flip. Not that David would play anywhere else, but I believe retirement is still fully on the table for the longtime Buccaneer great. In this scenario, he returns to Tampa for one last run. Is David the same player he was six or seven years ago? No and that is perfectly fine because what he is still is a darn good linebacker.
I have to imagine the Bucs would love to have their leader on defense back for one last go but honestly, I think this one is pretty much up to Lavonte David and he has certainly earned that right.
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
G Ben Bredeson: Re-signs with Tampa Bay on a 1 year, 5 million dollar deal
The Bucs starting left guard from the 2024 season returns on a one year deal but gets a raise. Bredeson was solid for Tampa and earned the right to come back. He is the perfect player you can plug into a starting spot, but also still look for ways to upgrade. It wouldn’t shock me if Tampa Bay took a guard at some point in the draft to compete with Bredeson, but he played well enough to return.
In my mind, these are the three biggest free agents the Bucs have to worry about. Let’s dive into the other names on the list and see where they will land.
Anthony Nelson- Stays
Greg Gaines- Stays
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka- Goes
Chase Edmonds- Goes
Tavierre Thomas- Stays
Kyle Trask- Goes
William Gholston- Goes (Retirement)
Sua Opeta- Goes
Justin Skule- Stays
Sterling Shepard- Goes
Troy Hill- Goes
Shaq Barrett- Goes
Robert Hainsey- Goes
Bryce Hall- Goes
Mike Edwards- Stays
Royce Newman- Stays
Eric Banks- Goes
Ryan Neal- Goes
K.J. Britt- Goes
Restricted Free agents/Earned Rights Free agents brought back: J.J. Rusell, Kaevon Merriweather, C.J. Brewer