The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a way of getting the most out of most players. Who would have guessed, for instance, that quarterback Baker Mayfield was actually any good? As Bucs fans have learned since the beginning of 2023, in the right system, Mayfield is very good.
The three players below, though, do not seem to be good fits with Tampa Bay or quality fits anywhere. What is certain is that they do not need to play a big role for the Bucs next season.
If they do, then that likely means something terrible has happened. If the Buccaneers' 2025 draft goes the right way, however, these players might not see the field much at all. Heck, two of them might not even make the active roster.
These three Buccaneers players could be on their final straws with Tampa Bay
Wide receiver Sterling Shepard
Shepard has somehow made a career out of being underwhelming. He was a second-round pick in 2016, and that first year, he would have the second-highest number of targets (105) in his career. He managed to turn that into just 65 catches for 683 yards. That would remain one of the best seasons of his career. Since 2021, he has not had more than 366 yards receiving in a season.
Yet, he keeps finding jobs. That includes joining the Buccaneers last season when he managed just 334 yards receiving and one touchdown. Nearly any competent rookie can produce better numbers, and Tampa Bay needs to find a couple of those guys in the 2025 NFL draft. Heck, they could even come on Day 2 or 3 of the draft and be replacements for Shepard.
In his favor, Shepard is inexpensive. He has a cap hit of just $1.75 million in 2025, the final year of his current deal. But saving money should not mean skimping on quality.
Left guard Ben Bredeson
The Bucs got themselves into a pickle with Bredeson's contract. The team is stuck with him next season because releasing him would cost the team money. He isn't a tradeable player either because he is not good enough. There isn't anything that the left guard does well enough to earn a starting spot, and he especially is not worthy of having a cap hit of $8,766,000 in 2026 and 2027.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), last season, his first with Tampa Bay, he graded 93 out of 135 guards in the league. He has never graded higher than number 81. One might wonder how he still has a job in the NFL, let alone be a starter in Tampa Bay.
The hope is that the team can draft his replacement in 2025. Bredeson might be too expensive to release this offseason, but that does not mean he needs to play much next season.
Wide receiver Trey Palmer
Palmer appears to have already lost some trust in Tampa Bay. He saw 68 targets as a rookie in 2023, but just 22 in 2024. He does not seem to be able to get any separation, and that limits his catch rate, which was just 54.5 percent last year. Maybe expecting too much from the receiver is unfair. He was only a sixth-round choice.
But Tampa Bay needs to find some depth at receiver. Mike Evans is not going to play forever, even if he seems like he might. Shepard and Palmer are two of the main backups, which is not good enough quality. If the Buccaneers take a couple of receivers in the draft, Palmer could be on his way out the proverbial door.
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