The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the best wide receiver rooms in the NFL, so much so that even talented players that have had productive seasons in the past like Trey Palmer were not guaranteed a spot on the 53-man roster.
After tallying 385 yards receiving during his rookie year before falling down the depth chart in 2024, Palmer's status within the Bucs organization has deteriorated to the point where Tampa Bay cut him loose on roster cutdown day. The Palmer era has come to an end after just two seasons.
This situation would have been unthinkable a year ago, as Palmer was riding high off a very good rookie season for a sixth-round pick. Unable to sustain that momentum, Palmer has now put on pewter for the last time.
Buccaneers stunningly release young WR Trey Palmer
The writing may have been on the wall for some time. Not only were the Buccaneers able to retain both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but Tampa used Top 100 draft picks (including one first-round pick) in consecutive years on Washington's Jalen McMillan and Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka. Seventh-round pick Tez Johnson has also impressed in the preseason.
Palmer has some experience returning kicks, but his lack of amazing special teams value may have helped some other fringe players win out over him during this roster crunch. Still, cutting a 24-year-old player with his physical gifts as a receiver is always going to be a tough sell for fans.
Palmer will likely have a very healthy market, as he has just two years on his ledger in the NFL and has shown the explosive speed needed to be a big-play threat down the field. Perhaps one of his old offensive coordinators in Carolina's Dave Canales or Jacksonville's Liam Coen could bring him to town.
The Bucs have one of the strongest wide receiver rooms in the league, and Palmer losing his role in Tampa was the result of the embarrassment of riches this team has in that area. All the Bucs can do now is hope that he doesn't land with a team on the 2025 schedule as a means of exacting revenge.