Sean Tucker Took A Pay Cut (It Seems)
August 30th, 2026
Squeezed.
Those Bucs fans who listened to the JoeBucsFan Show on 95.7 FM WDAE/620 AM yesterday heard Joe speculate about this.
The Joes were trying to figure out why Rondé Barber the past two weeks on the WFLA-TV Channel 8 broadcasts of Bucs’ worthless preseason games went well out of his way several times to strongly suggest Sean Tucker was on thin ice with the Bucs.
After watching Bucs training camp all summer, the Joes couldn’t figure out why Barber would even remotely think Tucker was in danger of being released unless it was a plant (VERY likely) or Barber knew of something off the field that the general public did not.
Tucker had a fine training camp.
Joe speculated maybe this was a well-coordinated scheme by the Bucs to squeeze Tucker for a pay cut to help pay for Vita Vea.
Well, per a missive from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, it sure smells like that’s what happened. Fowler said Tucker took damn near a 30 percent paycut — he was due $3.5 million if he stayed on the roster — and agreed to a contract for $2.5 million.
Always and forever, adhere to the old cliché, “follow the money.”
Joe’s very glad 24-year-old Tucker and his 8 touchdowns last season are back.
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. pic.twitter.com/wldumXspb3
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 30, 2026
August 30th, 2026 at 12:46 pm
Fair deal…
August 30th, 2026 at 12:46 pm
its good that he is staying
August 30th, 2026 at 12:50 pm
Are they trying to save some cap money to pay for Baker? They are close to fitting around a 15 million raise this year now and paying him the same going forward. Somewhere in the 53-55M range hopefully for 4 years (including this one).
August 30th, 2026 at 12:51 pm
Good deal. Keep a very solid RB and save some cap space.
Now please keep Pyburn and Fordham. Even if it means cutting Dennis and only keeping 3 TEs or 5 WRs.
August 30th, 2026 at 12:52 pm
Yes great he is staying!. My guess they overpaid him and now needed the money somewhere else. I said yesterday he is proven, Williams wasn’t. The plant using Barber makes sense as does having him play with all the reserves. Definitely a cold business!!!.
August 30th, 2026 at 12:59 pm
That’s fair pay for his production but I wonder what his production would be on another team as RB2? It kinda seems like he’s getting screwed financially this season because he wasn’t used enough/properly last season. I’m going to assume he had no other options?
August 30th, 2026 at 1:02 pm
They did the same thing to Rashaad White and Dean.
And guess what? These guys will bolt in a second if the chance comes.
Licht is making this the Cincinnati Bucs.
August 30th, 2026 at 1:04 pm
2.5 mil for a third string RB isn’t too bad.
August 30th, 2026 at 1:06 pm
Pay one guy 30 million for pouting another guy making only 3 million you are going to take it from him about par for our economy
August 30th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
Agree with Mod Hair Ken 100%
August 30th, 2026 at 1:17 pm
That is a fair price for both sides….
August 30th, 2026 at 1:34 pm
We have too many TEs anyway.
Running backs always get hurt. We need 4 RB.
Otton, Keift, Bauer. Cut Culp and Durham.
And cut Dennis. I’m okay with 3 MLB. Keep Rozeboom as our backup.
I want to keep our OLB room stacked. They play a lot of snaps.
Cross Train Bain as a DE also. To backup Robinson.
Bain can play OLB, DE and DT in this defense.
I don’t want to lose Kamara or Pyburn. I can’t believe we kept à guy like Klein taking up a roster spot last year.
We literally brought in FOUR guards off the streets to play ahead of Klein.
So why was he on the team?
August 30th, 2026 at 2:07 pm
Teacherman⬆️ Keeping 3 TEs ( especially the 3 you mentioned) in a heavy 12 personnel offense might be the stupidest thing you’ve said. And that’s a tough thing to beat. Especially with Sharpe and Kieft playing alot of ST’s. One injury to any of the 3 and your offensive scheme is gone.
August 30th, 2026 at 2:09 pm
Was the pay cut really necessary?
August 30th, 2026 at 2:14 pm
A fair dear? Where are all the voices saying a contact is a contract. Tucker had one, a fair one freely entered into? I’ve lost respect for Ronde, a toady. I used to side with the team vis-a-vis Coen. Now, not so much. Reducing his salary makes him very tradable. No doubt part of the money is incentives, which he will never reach because he will be nailed to the bench if he comes close to them.
August 30th, 2026 at 2:15 pm
OOOpps! ” A fair deal!”
August 30th, 2026 at 2:24 pm
I’m not nearly as high on Tucker as many, but I have no issues with this. Again, as a third RB who might have to occasionally step in and start, I’m fine with him. My only issue is people who continue to claim he’s an NFL starter, when clearly, he is not.
Also, pray that Tucker isn’t ever called on to pass block again, he’s terrible and will get his QB killed. But as a basic north/south runner, which is generally what you want around the goal line, he can fill that role, and hit some big plays on outside pitches where he doesn’t have to read his blocks.
August 30th, 2026 at 2:24 pm
Durham is supposed to be one of the better blocking TE’s in the league, and he makes the minimum
August 30th, 2026 at 2:33 pm
I’ve always had a secret “fan crush” on Sean Tucker. I love what he does when given a chance (as in more than two or three carries a game.) Looking for Josh Williams to make the PS and probably get plucked when some other teams #2 RB gets a groin.
August 30th, 2026 at 2:34 pm
Beeej Says:
August 30th, 2026 at 2:24 pm
Durham is supposed to be one of the better blocking TE’s in the league, and he makes the minimum
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HUH? According to who? Ko is a much better blocker than Durham, who was a receiving TE in college who looked to me like he got a lot bigger his last year there and also became slow and lumbering. But blocking? He’s never stood out to me, not the way Ko has. I’ve never heard anyone talk about him as a top blocker, not even on the Bucs, where Ko is clearly better, and I think Otton is at least at the same level as him.
August 30th, 2026 at 2:40 pm
Don’t know how many have noticed, but the Bucs have really worked some magic on their salary CAP in the past 2 weeks or so.
It was down around $8 – $9 mil, but as of today it’s up to $20.9 mil if you include the $1 mil gained from Tucker’s pay cut.
Contingent upon the last 10 roster cuts needed to get us down to 53 players, that salary CAP ‘flex’ could increase to as much as about $25 mil. Leads to the obvious question: ‘Is JL posturing to be able to add 1 or 2 players needed to ‘fix a couple of shortcomings’? Maybe a veteran CB? Maybe a backup QB? Possibly a a more solid backup Guard?
August 30th, 2026 at 2:41 pm
Hope we keep Tucccccck
August 30th, 2026 at 3:04 pm
#Squeezed
August 30th, 2026 at 3:09 pm
Time to sign SMB
August 30th, 2026 at 3:22 pm
Defense Rules Says:
August 30th, 2026 at 2:40 pm
Don’t know how many have noticed, but the Bucs have really worked some magic on their salary CAP in the past 2 weeks or so.
It was down around $8 – $9 mil, but as of today it’s up to $20.9 mil if you include the $1 mil gained from Tucker’s pay cut.
Contingent upon the last 10 roster cuts needed to get us down to 53 players, that salary CAP ‘flex’ could increase to as much as about $25 mil. Leads to the obvious question: ‘Is JL posturing to be able to add 1 or 2 players needed to ‘fix a couple of shortcomings’? Maybe a veteran CB? Maybe a backup QB? Possibly a a more solid backup Guard?
————-
I think Licht would like to keep that money in reserve, maybe it’s available at the trade deadline to get someone — or much more likely they want to carry it over for next year, since that is when the real squeeze will happen if Baker returns to form and they have to get him done, and bring back Yaya and others. Next years cap will be a difficult one if they need to pay Baker on top of everyone else, so carrying over money will help out big time.
We shall see.
August 30th, 2026 at 4:42 pm
Maybe I’m the minority, but I just have never seen Tucker as anything more than a replacement level running back, and those can be had all over the NFL on mid-round rookie contracts (under $1M). I didn’t understand it when we gave him 3M and I can’t say I understand giving him 2.5 now. If your 3rd string RB isn’t on a rookie or veteran’s minimum contract, then you are failing at the salary cap game.
August 30th, 2026 at 6:51 pm
Yep, Licht’s annual devaluation of RBs (Jones, Fournette, white….Tucker). Sure would suk to be a bruising RB on this team, carry the load, do the dirty work pass pro, and be absolutely unappreciated unless you’re a midget RB or brittle DB. Now, let’s watch Vea’game plummet with that guaranteed $, a la Goedeke, AWJ, Dean (for 2 thirds of his contract), Mccollum….
August 30th, 2026 at 8:50 pm
For all of you clowns outraged about how Vea didn’t honor his contract, you can now turn your outraged anger at the Bucs for not honoring their end. It’s sort of like me not paying back a $5 loan. The Bucs are four flushing cheapskates.
August 30th, 2026 at 11:04 pm
drdneast Says:
August 30th, 2026 at 8:50 pm
For all of you clowns outraged about how Vea didn’t honor his contract, you can now turn your outraged anger at the Bucs for not honoring their end. It’s sort of like me not paying back a $5 loan. The Bucs are four flushing cheapskates.
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I have no issues with Vita… but it’s a dumb comparison. The RFA contracts aren’t guaranteed, and clearly Tucker was given the option of taking a cut or being cut. Had he performed when he had a chance this preseason, he would have walked and took his chances. However, $2.5M for a 3rd string RB is very good money – and more than the $1M he’d make being a 3rd team RB on another team – assuming anyone would even sign him to their active roster, which is not at all guaranteed. If the Bucs were just being cheap, I think they could have easily knocked off another half-million and he’d have taken it.