Sean Tucker isn't walking into a big offseason payday, but he is walking away with his roster spot. According to Jeremy Fowler, Tucker agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million guaranteed contract with incentives to remain in Tampa Bay -- a deal that comes in below the $3.52 million he was owed on his restricted tender.
RB Sean Tucker agreed to a one-year, $2.5M guaranteed contract to remain with the Bucs, per source, along with incentives. Was due $3.52M on a restricted tender, and now he returns on a new one-year deal.
That's a real pay cut for a guy who has scratched and clawed for everything he's gotten in the NFL. Tucker went undrafted out of Syracuse in 2023 after a college career that produced nearly 3,800 total yards and an All-American nod, and he's spent 3 years fighting from the bottom of Tampa Bay's depth chart just to stay on the roster. Taking less money to stay put isn't the flashiest outcome, but for a player who's never had anything guaranteed, locking in $2.5 million and a job is a win.
Greg Auman had flagged this exact scenario coming -- the Bucs leveraging a lesser deal to keep Tucker around instead of matching his full tender.
We'd mentioned the possibility of Bucs leveraging Tucker to take a lesser salary last week ...
The timing isn't a coincidence. Hours before Tucker's new deal came together, Tampa Bay waived second-year back Josh Williams, the guy who'd reportedly been making Tucker sweat for his job all camp. Per Auman, if Williams clears waivers he'd be in line to land back on the practice squad -- so he's not gone from the building entirely, just off the 53-man.
Bucs have waived second-year RB Josh Williams, which would seem to keep Sean Tucker safe as RB3. Williams had challenged him in camp -- if he clears waivers, would return to practice squad. @JennaLaineESPN had it first.
Put those two moves next to each other and the picture is pretty simple: the Bucs cleared a roster spot and used it as leverage to get Tucker to take less money for the security of staying RB3 behind Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. It's not a blockbuster signing, but it settles a backfield battle that had been an actual training camp storyline, and it keeps a homegrown UDFA success story in a Bucs uniform for at least one more year.