Several Buccaneers named as top free agent targets in 2026

General manager Jason Licht has built a solid roster over the years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In doing so, he has hit on several draft picks on all days of the selection process, but that also creates a problem for teams. That problem is you have to be able to retain those players that you hit on in the draft, or else they become someone else's treasure.

PFF is already looking ahead to the next slate of free agency and has ranked the top 70 free agents in 2026. For the Bucs, they have three players who made the cut, with two of them in the top ten.

The top-ranked free agent they have is wide receiver Mike Evans. They write, "Evans remains a future Hall of Famer even as he works back from the collarbone injury that paused a season that was once again looking promising. He's earned a 70.0-plus grade in every full year since entering the league in 2014 — clearing 80.0 seven times — and posted a career-best 90.4 mark in 2024 while racking up 1,096 yards and 12 touchdowns. Even with this year's downtime, his contested-catch résumé holds firm, with a 55.4% contested-catch rate since 2023 that ranks 16th among receivers with 100 or more targets."

Evans has had a PFF grade of 89.4, which is slightly higher than that of their ninth-ranked free agent, cornerback Jamel Dean. The veteran cornerback has proven to be one of the more important defenders on the team in 2025. After restructuring his contract, he is now a free agent in 2026 and should be highly sought after.

For Dean, they wrote, "Dean is in the middle of a true breakout season and boasts a 90.5 overall grade that leads all cornerbacks ahead of Week 13, well ahead of the next closest player at 83.4. He's allowed just 16 catches on 37 targets for 212 yards, with three interceptions, a pass breakup and four additional forced incompletions. He has given up no touchdowns and held opposing quarterbacks to a league-best 28.2 passer rating in his coverage. Dean's 58.7% lockdown rate and 43.2% completion percentage allowed show just how comfortably he's stepped into elite territory in 2025."

Rounding out the group at the 38th spot is running back Rachaad White. He has a grade of 78.8 on the year and is one of the highest graded running backs to hit the market next offseason. He is going to be tough for Tampa Bay to retain, but crazier things have happened.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Several Bucs named as top free agent targets in 2026