Jason Licht and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ player personnel department ran through a gauntlet last offseason, trying to keep together a roster that had just won a third straight NFC South title while dealing with a restrictive cap situation. The laundry list was daunting: re-sign resurgent quarterback Baker Mayfield plus Buccaneer legends Lavonte David and Mike Evans, retain deadeye kicker Chase McLaughlin, get a long-term deal done with franchise-tagged safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and work out an extension for All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs.
Impressively, Licht and company eventually checked all those boxes, plus a few others (e.g. Will Gholston, Greg Gaines) from a list of 22 potential free agents, including 18 of the unrestricted variety. A year later, the Buccaneers’ list of pending unrestricted free agents is a little bit longer than in 2023, but perhaps a little less imposing. Not having to strike deals with your starting quarterback and a future Hall of Fame receiver helps.
Still, there is work to be done. This year, the list of potential free agents is 25 (possibly 26) players long, and it does feature David again, as well as the second-leading receiver in franchise history, Chris Godwin. In addition, most of the team’s 2021 draft class is in line for new contracts, either in Tampa or elsewhere.
The list could be shorter by the time the NFL’s 2025 league year begins on March 12, as the Buccaneers and all NFL teams have an exclusive window to negotiate with their own free agents until 52 hours before the start of the new league year. A “negotiation period” (commonly referred to as the “legal tampering period”) opens at noon on March 10, allowing teams to speak to representatives of potential free agents from other teams and even enter into contract negotiations. That period lasts until 3:59:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday the 12th.
Unrestricted free agents are players with four or more accrued seasons and an expiring contract; restricted free agents have three accrued seasons; exclusive rights free agents have two or fewer accrued seasons. Teams may also begin placing franchise tags on potential free agents on February 18.
Here is Tampa Bay’s list of potential 2025 free agents.
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