Outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr., center, wastes no time getting his contract in place with Tampa Bay, signing ahead of rookie minicamp.
Outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr., center, wastes no time getting his contract in place with Tampa Bay, signing ahead of rookie minicamp.
Rueben Bain Jr. has been all business since being drafted by the Bucs with the No. 15 overall pick, and he proved it again Thursday by putting pen to paper and signing a four-year contract.
The rookie value for the No. 15 overall pick is slotted for approximately $22.785 million over four years. The deal is fully guaranteed and includes a fifth-year club option.
Bain is the Bucs’ first member of the 2026 draft class to reach an agreement with the club and among only a few players taken in the first round who has signed with their new team.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (No. 11) has signed with the Cowboys as has Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane (No. 14 overall) with the Ravens.
Bain’s selection by the Bucs went viral when he snatched a hat without pausing to look into a two-way mirror and stormed to the stage at the NFL draft in Pittsburgh.
Bain arrived at One Buc Place with the team’s other rookies Thursday in advance of rookie minicamp, which begins Friday.
The Bucs’ biggest need heading into the draft was for an edge rusher after the team recorded only 27 sacks last season, the fewest since head coach Todd Bowles arrived as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2019.
But they never expected Bain, arguably the best pass rusher in the draft, to fall to No. 15.
“We pick out a few guys that we don’t think are going to make it to (No.) 15. There were about eight or nine of them that regardless of position, we said, ‘If these guys end up falling, we’re taking them without a doubt,’” Bowles said. “We had our minds made up on another player just because we figured the top eight or nine guys would be gone. We knew Rueben was a top-10 pick and he started falling a little bit and he got to 15 and we knew he wasn’t going any further.
“We couldn’t be happier because of the mindset we’re trying to change this year with the type of players we signed in free agency and the type of play that he does and the attitude that he plays with and the force he plays with, it was really a no-brainer.”
Bain signed two days earlier than Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka, who was drafted No. 19 overall by the Bucs a year ago.
Bain got off the bus with the other rookies at One Buc Place on Thursday wearing a No. 99 Bucs jersey of Warren Sapp, the former Hurricanes national champion and Tampa Bay first-round pick in the 1995 NFL draft.
Sapp contacted Bain shorty after he was drafted by the Bucs.
“He was just telling me, ‘This is his city,’” Bain said. ”He told me ‘good luck’ and there’s a standard to live up to."
• • •
Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.