The Seahawks have warned their season-ticket holders about “excessive reselling.” The Buccaneers have done something more creative to try to prevent it.
The Buccaneers are introducing a “Ticket Buyback” program for season-ticket members, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
It allows season-ticket holders to return tickets back to the team for up to two games in exchange for a credit toward 2026 season-ticket renewal. The buyback window runs the month of June.
In theory, the team then will resell the tickets to Bucs fans.
Lions, Eagles and Commanders fans have traveled well to games in Tampa in recent seasons.
The Bucs will make a limited number of single-game tickets for 2025 available after the schedule is announced tonight at 8 ET.
The Buccaneers announced a number of changes to the team’s football operations staff on Wednesday.
Rob McCartney has been promoted to assistant General Manager and Mike Biehl is now the team’s vice president of player personnel. McCartney was a director of player personnel and is in his 15th season with the team. Biehl, who is in his 12th year in Tampa, also had that title.
The Buccaneers also announced promotions for college scout Jeremiah Bogan, physical therapist Keairez Coleman, college scout Korey Finnie, senior video director Brett Greene, vice president of performance science Dave Hamilton, director of college scouting Tony Hardie, NFS scout Jordan Morrow, senior director of football operations Shelton Quarles, associate athletic trainer Samantha Richter, director of player personnel Shane Scannell, equipment manager Nick Schmetzer, and video director Matt Taylor.
In addition to those promotions, the Buccaneers hired director of football research Zach Beistline and performance dietitian Patrick O’Brien.
The Bucs signed linebacker Nick Jackson and defensive lineman Dvon J-Thomas on Monday, the team announced. Both players were tryout participants in the club’s rookie minicamp this past weekend.
The Bucs waived linebacker Deion Jennings and tight end Anthony Landphere in corresponding moves.
Jackson played collegiately at the University of Virginia (2019-22) and the University of Iowa (2023-24). He appeared in 73 games — 60 starts — between the two schools and recorded 555 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 20 passes defensed, 17 sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception.
Jackson’s 73 games played are the most in NCAA history, and his 555 tackles stand as the second-most in FBS history behind only Troy’s Carlton Martial (577 from 2018-22) and ahead of Boston College’s Luke Kuechly (532 from 2009-11). Jackson posted four consecutive 100-tackle seasons from 2020-23.
He received second-team All-ACC honors after the 2022 season and third-team All-Big Ten honors after the 2023 season.
J-Thomas played collegiately at Penn State (2020-24), starting 26 of 60 career games. He logged 93 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed.
He received All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition following each of his final two seasons. In 2024, he started all 16 games and posted a career-high 35 tackles.
Buccaneers undrafted rookie defensive lineman Desmond Watson knows he’s getting more attention than other undrafted rookies, and he knows that’s because of his size. He hopes that doesn’t stay the case forever.
Watson weighed 464 pounds at Florida’s Pro Day. He recently said he has dieted down to 437, but even at his slimmer weight he would be the heaviest player in NFL history, and that isn’t what he wants to be known for.
“I feel like my name is etched in history, of course, as the official heaviest player in the NFL, or whatnot,” Watson said, via Buccaneers.com. “It’s a good story; at the same time I don’t want it to be my narrative. I want to be known as a football player, and a good football player at that. But it’s nice to be able to make history. . . . I guess again because I did it in college, too. It’s nice to be able to make history but all in all, I am a football player and I want to be known as a good one. So it’s just a process that comes with it, I guess.”
Watson is no sure thing to make the Bucs’ roster, and probably has a better chance if he can get his weight down under 400 pounds and show improved mobility and quickness. Right now he’s a curiosity because of his size; he hopes to gain respect in the league because of his play.
Another first-round pick has put pen to paper.
The Buccaneers announced on Friday that receiver Emeka Egbuka has signed his contract ahead of the club’s rookie minicamp this weekend.
Egbuka, 22, was the No. 19 overall pick of this year’s draft after spending four seasons at Ohio State. He won the CFP National Championship with the program in January.
The Buccaneers will make a decision on Egbuka’s fifth-year option in the spring of 2028.
Tampa Bay now has five of its six 2025 draftees under contract. The long remaining unsigned player is second-round cornerback Benjamin Morrison.
