The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a solid 2024 season, even if it did not match up to last season's success. Tampa Bay finished the regular season 10-7 and won the NFC South once again. Unfortunately, the Buccaneers got bounced in the first round of the playoffs against the Commanders.
The Buccaneers are in an interesting position as a franchise. Give them kudos for finding Baker Mayfield and giving him an extension that he absolutely earned during the 2023 season. There was no guarantee that Tampa would easily recover from losing Tom Brady after his retirement.
It is difficult to demand that Tampa Bay keep every one of its upcoming free agents. Tampa Bay is projected to have roughly $12 million in cap space to work with this offseason before they start making moves. There are certainly ways to increase that number, but it does show that the Buccaneers are not positioned to be huge spenders this offseason.
That said, Tampa Bay will have a ton of extra cap space over the next two seasons. They have some room to get creative if they decide to make a run in 2025.
But who should they prioritize bringing back?
Below we will explore three Buccaneers players who Tampa Bay needs to re-sign before the 2025 NFL free agency period opens up in March.
Should the Buccaneers give Lavonte David one last rodeo?

Not many NFL players suit up for the same team for their entire career. Lavonte David is one of the rare exceptions.
David is a 13-year veteran who is the heart and soul of Tampa's defense. He is 34 years old but his high level of play has not fallen off one bit.
David logged 122 total tackles in 2024 with five-and-a-half sacks and one interception. He is still capable of making plays all over the field — so why not bring him back?
One of the main reasons for bringing back David is that Tampa does not have a great backup plan if he leaves. SirVocea Dennis is a talented young player, but he suffered a brutal injury that ended his 2024 season. His health is a big question mark moving forward.
KJ Britt filled in for Dennis after his injury, but he is also a free agent.
I believe the Buccaneers should bring Lavonte David back on another one-year contract, assuming that he does not retire during the offseason.
David should still be relatively affordable, commanding roughly $7.8 million per season as projected by Over the Cap.
Re-signing Ben Bredeson would create some stability on Tampa's offensive line
The Buccaneers got some solid play out of Bredeson throughout the 2024 season.
Tampa Bay signed Bredeson to a one-year contract during free agency last spring. At the time, Bredeson was a four-year veteran who spent one season in Baltimore before finding a home in New York with the Giants.
One of Bredeson's biggest strengths as a player is his versatility. He has played snaps at center and at both guard positions during the first four years of his career.
Bredeson became Tampa Bay's starting left guard during the 2024 season. While he may not be the most dominant offensive lineman around, he is a valuable piece to any NFL team.
The Buccaneers do not have a ton of depth on their offensive line, especially at the interior positions. As a result, Bredeson could make a lot of sense for the Buccaneers. Bredeson could compete for a starting spot during training camp and, worst case scenario, he could become a versatile depth piece who is already familiar with Tampa's offensive scheme.
The issue could be the price tag. Over the Cap projects that Bredeson could command upwards of $8 million per season on a new contract. That may be a little rich for the Buccaneers.
Mike Edwards proved that he is worth keeping for the 2025 season
The main appeal of a player like Mike Edwards is familiarity and dependability.
Edwards is a six-year veteran at safety who started his career with the Buccaneers. He left Tampa Bay in 2023 to join the Chiefs on a one-year deal. Edwards spent a minute in Buffalo at the beginning of the 2024 season before ending up back in Tampa Bay once again.
Edwards did not see the field much for the Buccaneers this season. However, he did provide some valuable depth behind Jordan Whitehead at strong safety.
Whitehead is still under contract in 2025, so Edwards would be depth once again if he comes back to Tampa.
As with Bredeson, the price will mean everything here. I'm sure Tampa would love to bring Edwards back, but they can easily live without him if his price tag is too high.