Buccaneers Agree to Contract With First-Round NFL Draft Pick Calijah Kancey

Signing defensive tackle Calijah Kancey means offensive tackle Cody Mauch is the only Tampa Bay Buccaneers' NFL Draft pick left to sign.

David Harrison | Jun 16, 2023

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took two steps toward securing their rookie class by agreeing to deals with first-round defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and third-round outside linebacker YaYa Diaby.

Kancey's deal with the Buccaneers includes $14.7 million guaranteed, $7.7 million in signing bonus, and also includes other bonuses worth around $1 million according to reports.

The defensive tackle will count for $2.6 million against the Bucs' salary cap with that number growing over the three seasons following 2023.

Tampa Bay will have to make their decision on his fifth-year option following the 2025 season during the 2026 league year.

Diaby's current year cap hit will be $993 thousand and grows to $1.38 million in 2026.

These moves, along with the addition of kicker Rodrigo Blankenship earlier this week bring the Buccaneers to the edge of their Top 51 cap space.

The top 51 salary cap only accounts for the 51-highest priced contracts for now allowing more flexibility for NFL teams to sign rookies and free agents as needed.

Ahead of the regular season, the initial 53-man roster will count against the cap, and teams will have to be cap compliant at that time.

This means a restructured contract or two could be in the works as we speak.

Of course, the Buccaneers could also look to extend star receiver Mike Evans and swallow his upcoming void years in a new deal that helps spread cap hits down the road further than they already are.

Currently, if Evans is not a member of the Bucs after his current contract expires next offseason the team will be hit with a $12 million-plus dead cap hit.

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Published Jun 16, 2023

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has been in sports media since 2015 using written, audio, and video media to cover athletes, coaches, and games. In addition to covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for BucsGameday and Locked On Bucs he also covers the Washington Commanders for Commander Country and Locked On Commanders and the Washington Wizards for Inside the Wizards. David also covers the NFL as a whole as one of the Friday hosts for Locked On NFL. He is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and previously spent 20 years as an active member of the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.