The Buccaneers are signing free agent linebacker Christian Rozeboom, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
Rozeboom, 29, spent last season with the Panthers.
He led the team in tackles with 122 and added two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a pass defensed, making 15 starts and playing 823 defensive snaps.
Rozeboom went undrafted out of South Dakota State, signing with the Rams. He spent four seasons there, appearing in 60 games with 16 starts.
In his career, Rozeboom has totaled 347 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, 11 pass breakups and a forced fumble.
The Eagles are signing safeties Marcus Epps and J.T. Gray to one-year deals, Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com reports.
News of the agreements comes after the team traded safety Sydney Brown to the Falcons in a swap of picks. The Eagles also lost safety Reed Blankenship, who signed with Houston as a free agent.
Epps, 30, played for the Eagles last season, seeing action on 250 defensive snaps and 119 on special teams in 12 games. He started four games in place of Drew Mukuba.
Epps also played for the Eagles from 2019-22.
He has played games for the Vikings and Raiders, too, and has totaled 315 tackles, three interceptions, 18 passes defensed and two forced fumbles in his career.
Gray, 30, played four games for the Broncos and one for the Bucs last season after seven seasons in Denver. He is a core special teams player, with 153 defensive snaps and 2,231 on special teams in 98 career games.
He made the Pro Bowl and was first-team All-Pro as a special teams player in 2021 and was second-team All-Pro in 2019 and 2024.
Earlier this week, we broke down the details of the new Mike Evans contract, which pays a base value of $42.5 million over three years, with the first year ($14.3 million) fully guaranteed.
The contract does indeed include an incentives and escalators package that puts the total possible compensation above $20 million per year.
He can get up to $6 million per year under a formula that applies to 2026, 2027, and 2028.
Evans activates a 2027 escalator in four different $1.5 million increments based on the 2026 season. Evans gets $1.5 million if the 49ers make the playoffs and if he finishes in the top 10 in receptions. He gets $1.5 million if the 49ers make the playoffs and if he finishes in the top 10 in yards. He gets $1.5 million if the 49ers make the playoffs and if he finishes in the top 10 in receiving touchdowns.
The final $1.5 million comes from 2026 playoff success. He gets $500,000 per postseason win, if he played at least 75 percent of the snaps in the regular season and the playoffs, with a maximum of $1.5 million.
The same escalators apply to 2028, based on 2027 performance. Up to $6 million more can be paid out in the form of 2028 incentives, based on the same formula.
In 12 seasons, Evans has finished in the top 10 in receptions once. He finished in the top 10 in receiving yardage three times. He finished in the top 10 in receiving touchdowns seven times.
Defensive back Kindle Vildor is headed to New England.
Vildor’s agents Kevin Conner and Robert Brown told Adam Schefter of ESPN that their client has agreed to a one-year deal with the Patriots. No other terms of the deal have been announced.
Vildor played 12 games and made one start for the Buccaneers last season. He had 16 tackles and an interception in those appearances.
The Bears drafted Vildor in the fifth round in 2020. He also made stops in Tennessee and Detroit before joining the Buccaneers and has 140 tackles, two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble over his entire NFL career.
The Buccaneers wanted Mike Evans to return, hoping he would finish his career with the team. The wide receiver, though, was looking for a “new challenge,” according to Bucs General Manager Jason Licht.
Reports before Evans decided on his future indicated he was being offered $27 million per year. He signed a three-year, $42.5 million deal with the 49ers.
Licht said Wednesday that the Bucs offered more than the 49ers paid Evans.
“He means everything to me,” Licht said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, “but he means everything to the entire organization. Obviously, he’s the best offensive player we’ve ever had and an even better person than he is a player. So, it’s always tough. That one was really tough. . . . We made a significantly higher offer, and that was just the first offer.
“It became pretty clear that he and his family were just ready, like he said publicly, for another chapter. And ideally, of course, you’d want him to be a one-helmet player. But if you look back, there are several of those great players in that category. Dan Marino comes to mind, because I was there. You know, Barry Sanders and all of those. But then for everyone you name, there’s Jerry Rice, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Tom Brady that just at some point wanted another chapter. [Evans had] already established himself as the best player we’ve ever had on offense and 11 straight years with 1,000 yards, setting records. He won a Super Bowl. In my conversations with him, you know, we got emotional.”
Evans was frustrated by how last season ended without a playoff berth, Licht acknowledged, but the Bucs’ crowded receivers room played a bigger role in his departure. With Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson in Tampa, Evans would have had to share targets. In San Francisco, he is the clear No. 1 wideout.
“We all know [Evans is] not a selfish guy,” Licht said. “He loves his receiver room so much; he talked about it often how this is just going to give more opportunity for them all. You know, Chris, obviously, J-Mac, Emeka and Tez. He made some solid points. I wasn’t saying, ‘You’re right; go ahead.’ But I just think there’s such affection for those guys. I think that did weigh into it a little bit.”
In 2025, Evans failed to reach 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He missed nine games with hamstring injuries and a broken collarbone and caught a career-low 30 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns.
He leaves Tampa with 866 receptions for 13,052 yards and 108 touchdowns, earning a spot in the team’s Ring of Honor once his Hall-of-Fame-worthy career ends.
“Mike gave us everything he had for his 12 seasons here and established himself as one of the best players in the league,” Licht said. “So, to say it again, he’s one of our best players we’ve ever had.
“I don’t feel betrayed. He earned the right. . . . Sometimes you think you’re just ready for another chapter. I think you’d have to ask the Patriots if they felt betrayed by Tom, the Colts for Peyton Manning. I mean, that was maybe a little different, but I don’t feel betrayed. I feel like we did everything we could. I had a lot of talks with Mike about that. I think he made a family decision. I think it was, you know, for them to have a new chapter. San Francisco is a very good team, so I don’t want to criticize his decision right now.”
