Tampa Bay

Buccaneers

Vea is due $17 million in the final year of his four-year contract, considerably lower than other top defensive big men around the league. It’s a situation to monitor as the season draws near, with the veteran nose tackle clearly looking for a new deal. Whether the saga carries into camp and the preseason remains to be seen, but it is possible Vea wants to put pen to paper before retaking the field.

Reports from mid-May indicated that the Buccaneers might use a running back committee, including Gainwell and incumbent RBs Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. It seems as though a two-player backfield may be taking shape, with Irving slated for 1A duties ahead of Gainwell. Sources tell Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds that Gainwell “has quickly picked up” OC Zac Robinson’s playbook and is excelling as a receiver out of the backfield. A split backfield could be in play this season.

Bowles praised his quarterback on Thursday in a media interview, calling Mayfield “a true pro” and expressing confidence that the two sides can come together on another contract extension. Mayfield is in the final year of a three-year, $100 million extension he signed in 2024 and is in the midst of negotiations for another deal before training camp begins. Mayfield has already gone on record saying he will not continue discussions once training camp starts, giving the two sides a little over a month to hammer out a deal. Bowles and Mayfield are entering their fourth season together and have enjoyed some success, with Mayfield going 27-24 as a starter while also leading the team to two postseason berths. Mayfield said last week that negotiations were “not anywhere close” to the deal he is seeking, suggesting there’s a lot of work to be done before a deal is reached.

Morrison missed time in his 2024 college season after injuring the labrum in his hip. He almost missed time as a rookie last year, after suffering a hamstring injury in October. He totaled three pass breakups, 23 tackles and two quarterback pressures last year. Hopefully, he can return before long.

Organized team activities (OTAs) are conducted without pads, but this is still encouraging. Irving participated in rushing and receiving drills today, at the Buccaneers’ final session before mandatory minicamp begins on June 16th. In mid-May, general manager Jason Licht said Irving would be limited at OTAs, but should be “ready” for training camp in July. Head coach Todd Bowles muddled the return timeline a couple of weeks later, saying Irving was “expected back sometime in summer or fall.” Apparently, that time is now. Hopefully, Irving makes it through today’s session without issue and can continue practicing next week. He remains atop the depth chart, but the coaching staff has noted that RB Kenny Gainwell possesses a similar skill set to Irving, and recently complimented RB Sean Tucker’s short-yardage rushing chops. It looks an awful lot like a committee.

With former Buccaneers WR Mike Evans now a 49er, Godwin is the veteran in Tampa Bay’s wide receiver corps. Godwin was leading the NFL with 50 receptions when he fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle in 2024. It was a significant, season-ending injury that required an intense offseason rehab program, and his lower leg remained an issue for much of 2025. This year, however, Godwin’s offseason has been spent training, not recovering. A solid bounce-back season is within his range of potential outcomes, especially with the targets Evans vacated up for grabs. Godwin is currently the WR40 by PPR ADP. While he may lack the high-end upside he once possessed, that ADP sure looks like decent value.

He suffered a torn meniscus in Week 2 against the Texans. “Right away I’m just trying to get used to playing with a knee brace again, but I was talking to Ben today and it’s like, it already feels…you’re not thinking about the knee brace. It feels back to normal. It was a great day. I wasn’t worried about the knee one bit, so that’s good,” Mauch told reporters. We’re expecting Mauch to be ready to go for training camp based on this update.

Mayfield is in the final year of the three-year, $100 million extension he signed with the Buccaneers in 2024 and is seeking another long-term deal to remain with the team. Speaking on Friday, Mayfield said that while negotiations are currently ongoing, that he will stop those talks once training camp starts up, putting somewhat of a deadline on when a new deal could be reached. The 31-year-old signal-caller is entering his first season without Mike Evans, and is coming off a year in which he threw for 3,693-26-11 in 17 games. Mayfield is just two years removed from throwing for a career-high 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, but a lot has changed since then between the loss of Evans and former OC Liam Coen. We’ll see if a new deal is reached before camp, or if Mayfield will be positioned to play out 2026 in a contract year in hopes of earning a lucrative pay day next offseason.

Well, that’s not exactly a fantastic update for the injured running back. Previous reports indicated Irving would not take part in organized team activities but was expected to be a full-go for camp, a timeline that now looks to be in question. The nature of the noncommittal quote from head coach Todd Bowles raises serious concerns for Irving in a fantasy setting, particularly for a team that went out and added another pass-catching, change of pace specialist in Kenneth Gainwell this offseason. Sean Tucker demonstrated a clear knack for short yardage situations in 2025, potentially sending this backfield into a maddening three-headed timeshare come September, with Irving’s lack of practice time potentially earning him a slow start to the regular season. More questions than certainty await early best ball and season-long drafters this May.

Buried in an article comparing Bucs RBs Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell, Stroud notes that RB3 Sean Tucker “morphed into the Bucs’ short-yardage and goal-line specialist a year ago and led the club with seven rushing touchdowns.” Many teams employ two-player backfields. Stretching it to three makes things tough for fantasy purposes. Stroud does not definitively state that Tucker will again operate as the short-yardage and goal-line specialist, but he shares that tidbit just before forecasting a balanced approach. Tucker’s role in the rotation must be monitored closely this spring and summer — not just for his fantasy value, but for Irving and Gainwell’s as well.