The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have settled their running back picture for the third spot, and Sean Tucker is staying put.
Tucker, who joined the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in 2023, had been in a camp battle with Josh Williams for RB3 after signing a restricted free agent tender worth $3.52 million. He came out on top, and on Sunday the team locked him in on a new one-year deal worth $2.5 million, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The full amount is guaranteed.
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
Tucker has given Tampa Bay enough to keep investing in him. Across his first two NFL seasons, he’s flashed in stretches, including two 100-yard rushing games - one against the New Orleans Saints in 2024 and another against the Buffalo Bills in 2025.
His 2025 season was his most productive yet. Tucker scored seven touchdowns, the most of his career, and piled up 320 rushing yards, also a personal best.
Offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard leaned on him as a goal-line option, a role that helped boost those scoring numbers. Whether new OC Zac Robinson uses him the same way in 2026 remains to be seen.
For now, though, Tucker’s role is clear. Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell are set to handle the top two spots in the backfield, leaving Tucker as the team’s third back again next season. Still, the Bucs have seen enough in those big individual performances to bring him back for another year.
Tucker is now on the roster and will move ahead with the rest of the team as Tampa Bay prepares for its Week 1 road matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 13.
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Buccaneers Just Showed How Much Faith They Have In One RB
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Sean Tucker has shown he can provide real value when called on, with the kind of production that gives a coaching staff confidence in its depth chart. For a team that has leaned on competition to sort out the back end of the roster, this extension suggests the Bucs believe Tucker can keep offering more than just emergency snaps if his role ever expands. [Read more 🡒]
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