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Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean has taken a significant pay cut and will now be a free agent following the season.
Jamel Dean may not be long for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though he is certainly needed for the time being. Once a candidate to be benched, the veteran cornerback played 74 snaps in a Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, recording six tackles and three passes defended.
Dean, 28, is set to be a free agent following this season after agreeing Monday to take a significant pay cut, as first reported by Pewter Report’s Joshua Queipo. Per Fox Sports’ Greg Auman, Dean’s base salary for 2025 has been reduced from $12.5 million to $4.2 million. Dean can earn back $750,000 in incentives.
As part of the restructure, the Buccaneers removed the final year of Dean’s contract.
Huge Pay Cut Likely Signals Bucs’ Plans to Move On
The pay cut suggests the Buccaneers are determined to move on from Dean following this season. While Dean remains a significant part of the game plan — he played 97% of the team’s defensive snaps in the opener — the Buccaneers have some younger options knocking at the door.
The Buccaneers invested heavily into cornerback in the draft, selecting Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison and Kansas State’s Jacob Parrish in the second and third round, respectively. The team also still has Zyon McCollum and Josh Hayes on rookie contracts.
Dean Has Been a Fixture on Defense for Bucs
Dean emerged as a starter on the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV-winning defense in 2020, and he’s maintained that role over the last four seasons. Ahead of the 2023 campaign, he was rewarded with a four-year, $52 million contract that included $21.5 million guaranteed.
Ahead of this season, Pro Football Focus graded Dean as the NFL’s 17th-best cornerback.
“Consistency is highly valued in the NFL, and there might not be any cornerback more consistent year-to-year than Dean,” PFF’s John Kosko wrote. “His worst season resulted in a 72.5 PFF overall grade, while his best produced a 78.9 figure. He ranks 11th in PFF advanced coverage grade over the past two seasons and did not allow a touchdown in coverage in 2024.”
Despite that high mark, Dean had a coverage grade of 59.2 in Week 1, placing him 66th out of 107 eligible cornerbacks.
Dean, a 2019 third-round pick out of Auburn, has spent his entire career with Tampa Bay. In 83 games over parts of seven seasons, Dean has 319 tackles, eight interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and 55 passes defended.
Bucs Have Ample Cap Space
According to Spotrac, the Buccaneers now have $21.7 million available in cap space, eighth-most in the NFL.
Dean’s pay cut gives the Buccaneers some financial flexibility in case they need to make any moves in-season.
The Buccaneers (1-0) visit the Houston Texans on Monday night.