We can already predict with some certainty that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be a much different team in 2025 on the defensive side of the ball — changes might be coming on the offense as well.
According to Bleacher Report, the Buccaneers could go after Chicago Bears offensive guard Teven Jenkins in free agency in 2025 in order to solidify their offensive front and likely replace current starter Ben Bredeson.
“Ben Bredeson hasn’t been playing well this year and is an impending free agent this offseason,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote. “So, (general manager) Jason Licht might be in the market for a new left guard during free agency this spring. Injury concerns aside, Jenkins would be a strong fit in Tampa.”
Jenkins, 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds, has been dominant at times when he’s healthy, although he’s dealt with injury issues throughout his career.
The Buccaneers are currently 4-6 headed into the final stretch of the season but have a legitimate shot of making the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.
Former Big 12 Star to Starting in NFC North
Jenkins was a versatile, dominant player at Oklahoma State, where he was a 3-time All-Big 12 Conference selection while playing both right offensive tackle and left offensive tackle.
“Jenkins not only plays with excellent upper-body power and hand strength, he combines it with a desired level of body control and athleticism to create a consistent, toolsy talent,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2021. “His instincts and processing serve him well in quickly sifting through moving pieces. He can be an intolerant run blocker, looking to finish and bury his opponent once he gets his block locked and centered … Whether it is at tackle or guard, Jenkins has the talent to become an early starter and a successful pro.”
The Bears selected Jenkins in the second round (No. 39 overall) of the 2021 NFL draft and signed a 4-year, $8.38 million contract. Jenkins has started 11 games each of the last 2 seasons for the Bears and has started all 9 games for the Bears so far in 2024.
Buccaneers Don’t Have Much Room to Maneuver
After handing out contracts like they were Monopoly money in 2024, the Buccaneers will find themselves in a much different space in 2025.
The Buccaneers gave out approximately $374 million in new contracts in 2024 to just 4 players — offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs ($141 million), safety Antoine Winfield Jr. ($81.4 million), quarterback Baker Mayfield ($100 million) and wide receiver Mike Evans ($52 million).
Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, 3 of those players are going to end up missing extended time with injuries in 2024, with Winfield, Evans and Wirfs all dealing with issues.
According to Over the Cap, the Buccaneers will only have $24.5 million in estimated salary cap space in 2025 — the majority of which we can assume will be spent on a wide receiver with Chris Godwin in the final season of a 3-year, $60 million contract.
That doesn’t mean they wont’ be able to bring Jenkins in. They signed Bredeson to a 1-year, $3 million contract in March 2024 that should be very similar to any proposed deal that might offer Jenkins, who Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox predicts could also draw interest from the New England Patriots in free agency in 2025.
