Todd Bowles On Zyon McCollum And Getting Paid
September 4th, 2025
Just play ball.
If you look at Spotrac.com, the Bucs have 21 players currently in a contract year.
Yeah, many of them are backups. But not all.
Mike Evans, Lavonte David, Luke Goedeke, Cade Otton, Zyon McCollum, Logan Hall, Rachaad White and Haason Reddick are the big names in contract years. Of course, you can scratch Goedeke off the list.
One of the best right tackles in the game agreed to an extension on Tuesday.
So yesterday Bucs coach Todd Bowles was talking about Goedeke’s new deal when Bowles was asked about what McCollum had to do to re-sign with the Bucs or get an extension before the end of the season.
Play ball, Bowles said.
“He just needs to play,” Bowles said, suggesting McCollum doesn’t need to worry about anything else but playing good football and the money will come. “We’re trying to win games. The money comes with it and that’s part of it.
“I don’t get into people’s contracts and money or what they need to do to get paid. If you play well and you have great seasons, you get paid.
“You know, you can’t pay everybody if you got 10 or 15 people up at the same time. Zyon is one of our key players. He’s very important to us and he does a heck of a job day in and day out. He just needs to keep working. He’ll be okay.”
Oh, Joe is confident McCollum will get paid by someone. Is McCollum in danger of losing his job with the Bucs? No.
Having typed that, the Bucs will be negotiating from a position of strength. The Bucs didn’t draft two cornerbacks on Day 2 of the draft this spring just to stand on the sidelines and pick their noses.
While many fans believe Jamel Dean is on thin ice, Joe can’t say either he or McCollum is in danger. But if McCollum doesn’t have a good year, the Bucs could squeeze him in negotiations, knowing Benjamin Morrison is waiting to get on the field, and that Jacob Parrish, from Bowles’ own words, can play outside corner.
September 4th, 2025 at 12:08 am
It all comes down to quality tape this year, but I suspect Zyon gets a new deal and Dean gets cut before 2026.
September 4th, 2025 at 12:21 am
Zyon will get a pick against Atlanta! 4-5 on the season!
September 4th, 2025 at 3:45 am
Otton, and White are expendable. Reddick is past 30, he’s not getting big money. Roberts can replace Hall. Corners in their prime get paid, but the Bucs have options with Parrish, and hopefully Morrison. Keeping Luke was important, the rest not so much. It’ll all shake out, but not everyone will get paid.
September 4th, 2025 at 4:06 am
Average in a mediocre secondary. Meh.
Think White is undervalued. The offensive line, blocking schemes and playcalling in his first two years was more often than not – just ugly.
September 4th, 2025 at 4:13 am
How does that 21 players compare to other teams?
September 4th, 2025 at 5:25 am
Thinking too, Zyon stays. Unsure about the pay yet.
September 4th, 2025 at 6:51 am
If they let Zyon walk n keep Dean then that would be a big mistake. Zyon is becoming a rising star. He’s hungry n shows determination. He’s also improved over the past three years. I love his aggressive style of play. On the other hand Dean has not made any adjustments. He’s the same lost in space player today that he was in 2019 when he was drafted. In the preseason game against Pittsburg, he got schooled three times in the same series, that should say enough about him as a player. Let’s be done with Dean n watch McCollum,Parrish,n Morrison represent as three of the best ball hawks n aggressive cb on the same team.
September 4th, 2025 at 8:10 am
Zyon will get paid
1-0
GO BUCS!!!!
September 4th, 2025 at 8:13 am
Was Zyon considered to have had a good year in ’24? I thought he did
September 4th, 2025 at 9:03 am
Time to focus on winning games! Like the coach said, put your best effort on the field and you’ll get paid.
September 4th, 2025 at 11:33 am
lol lots of no update update from Todd on this one. “yea i dont know nothing, he just has to play good and money will follow” lol bs.
September 4th, 2025 at 12:24 pm
too many people complain about bowles imo. he solved the defensive backfield problem that plagued us after ronde left. his defenses have done well for the lack of money spent.
zion will get paid. dean probably not
September 4th, 2025 at 1:01 pm
The genius has a plan. Teach all the Bucs DBs how not to cover anyone, and then they can be affordable to resign for new contracts.
September 5th, 2025 at 12:03 am
After Mike, Lavonte, and now Luke, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see only Hall get re-signed, and that would only be for the old Will Gholston type of high end depth/low end starter kind of money.
It also wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the team go CB and TE early in the draft next year. 1st and 2nd rounders are very real possibilities next year for those two positions.
The following year is when the team goes all in with high value FAs again to make that final SB push like they did both of the first two times they won it all.
September 5th, 2025 at 2:41 pm
Your last paragraph is now obsolete.
September 5th, 2025 at 4:41 pm
Agreed, and I’m happy to be wrong. Saves a high draft pick for the build, and secures Zyon for the window. This is a great time to be wrong.