Everything seems to be going well for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as a fourth straight NFC South title was secured last Sunday and the team is preparing to play in the playoffs for fifth consecutive season. The good vibes go beyond just the locker room as it seems former players are getting swept up in the luck.
Jake Camarda was released back in October after crashing out in frustrating fashion. He went from being a rising star and one of the best players on the team to someone the Bucs couldn’t justify continuing to roster, and it was as stunning a decline as that sounds.
Over the last two seasons Camarda averaged 41.4 net yards per punt and then 41.2 net yards per punt, but 2024 saw a sharp downturn to an abysmal — and unplayable — 36.5 net yards. What made his crash out even harder to watch was how bright his future seemed, as he helped keep the Bucs in games over the first two seasons of his career and was instrumental in keeping the season on track last year before a nice playoff run.
He won’t be part of the playoff run this year, but he has managed to finally land somewhere to try and earn a second chance and it seems like an ideal situation.
Jake Camarda finally earns a second chance and signs with the Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills quietly signed Camarda this week to a futures contract, meaning he won’t factor into things much this postseason but could be in the plans beyond that.
Roster move ⬇️
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) January 7, 2025
Signed P Jake Camarda to a reserve/future contract.
Camarda isn’t eligible to play in the playoffs for the Bills since he signed a future contract, which is exactly what is sounds like. Buffalo is essentially earmarking Camarda for a roster spot next year as his contract won’t take effect until after this season has concluded.
What happens there could be of interest Buccaneers fans.
Buffalo already has a punter in Sam Martin, who isn’t a free agent until 2026. He is, however, goin to cost the Bills north of $1 million so there could be incentive for the team to save some money and replace him with Camarda, which Bucs fans can attest is a great experience when things are going well.
It took a bit, but Camarda finally has that second chance to prove himself. There could be a world where he looks good at Bills camp next summer and another team swoops in to get him, which would be great for a guy who fell on some tough times on the field but is clearly a talented player when he’s playing up to expectation.
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