Zyon McCollum
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The Buccaneers have freed up $5.25 million in salary cap space by restructuring Zyon McCollum's contract
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a bit of a worrisome start to the offseason. While they have brought some new faces to town, they have also lost a handful of key players, such as wide receiver Mike Evans, running back Rachaad White, and cornerback Jamel Dean. With these guys headed for the exit door, that means the Bucs are going to have to find folks who can come in and properly replace them.
At cornerback, Zyon McCollum is going to find himself with even more responsibilities on his plate now that Dean is gone. Obviously, Tampa Bay’s front office will look to find someone to come in and play alongside McCollum at cornerback, but in order to do that, they need money. As a result, the team made a move involving McCollum’s contract in order to free up some much-needed salary cap space.
Buccaneers Create $5.25 Million with Zyon McCollum Contract Restructure
Aaron Wilson
#Buccaneer Zyon McCollum converted $12.869 million league year roster bonus into fully guaranteed option after signing bonus. New salary cap figure $5.255M, salary $1.215M Added 2029, 2030 voidable years
A fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, McCollum was an immediate contributor for Tampa Bay’s secondary, and he eventually earned a full-time starting job midway through the 2023 season. McCollum turned in a stellar 2024 campaign (82 tackles, two interceptions, 17 pass breakups) that earned him a three-year, $48 million contract extension before the 2025 season.
McCollum wasn’t as effective in 2025, although it is worth noting he missed four games due to injury. Still, when he was healthy and on the field, he formed an effective tandem with Dean. The problem is that Dean is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving McCollum without a true partner-in-crime for the time being.
While the team is high on 2025 second-round pick Benjamin Morrison, Tampa Bay may want to find a more experienced option to play alongside McCollum. There are also several other areas of need across the roster, so the team is going to need money in order to fill in these spots. With that in mind, the Bucs decided to restructure McCollum’s contract less than a full year after agreeing to it, with the team managing to free up $5.25 million in the process.
“Buccaneers Zyon McCollum converted $12.869 million league year roster bonus into fully guaranteed option after signing bonus. New salary cap figure $5.255M, salary $1.215M. Added 2029, 2030 voidable years,” Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston shared in a post on X.
Buccaneers Have Work to Do After Zyon McCollum Contract Move
Zyon McCollum
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum.
$5.25 million isn’t a massive amount of money in the modern NFL, but that should allow the Bucs to have a bit more flexibility when it comes to building out their roster. As noted above, finding a proper replacement for Dean could be one of the top items on the front office’s to-do list, but if you don’t have money available, it’s going to be tough to find anyone to play for you.
Having McCollum already in place to man one side of the field at cornerback is a big win for Tampa Bay, but as we have seen in recent years, having depth is crucial for this team. Even if Morrison is the guy the Buccaneers want to start alongside McCollum, more help is going to be needed at this position, which is why this under-the-radar move could end up being surprisingly important.