The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Haason Reddick last offseason hoping to get a star, or at least somebody who could significantly improve the defense.

Neither scenario played out.

Despite a disappointing 2024, in which Reddick managed just one sack over 10 games with the New York Jets, Tampa thought highly enough of Reddick to give him a one-year, $14 million deal, with $12 million of it guaranteed.

In a perfect world, Reddick would have become Tampa’s top pass rusher, or at least a solid complement to a promising YaYa Diaby. But it didn’t quite work out that way.

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At his best, Reddick is one of the better edge rushers in football. In 2022, Reddick was a second-team All-Pro, ending the season with 16 sacks and helping the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance. Reddick hasn’t been able to match that in the three seasons since. In 2023, he regressed to 11 sacks, and then had his one forgettable season in New York.

The Bucs singed Reddick to a one-year "prove it" deal, and it didn’t go according to plan. In 13 games (Reddick missed a month due to injury), he had 2.5 sacks, 

Reddick’s time in Tampa wasn’t all bad.

Despite missing four games, Reddick finished with the third most pressures on the team, with 34.

But it’s hard to argue the Bucs shouldn’t move on from Reddick. 

He will be 32 in late September, which isn’t ancient, but is old enough to where it’s fair to doubt if he’ll ever be close to what he was at his best.

As far as anybody knows, Reddick still wants to play in the NFL, but where would he make sense?

During his media availability at the 2026 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Bucs’ GM Jason Licht was asked to reflect on Reddick’s time in Tampa.

Licht said that he’s “not regretting” the Reddick signing because of the promise he showed early in the season. 

Indeed, Reddick’s best game as a Buc might well have been his first game, where he ended with a sack, eight pressures and seven quarterback hurries. 

Licht also acknowledged that Reddick “dealt with a lot of injuries.”

Now, the Bucs again will need an edge rusher, whether he comes out of free agency or the draft. 

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