Bucs Legend Says Zyon McCollum “Needs To Start Proving You Are Who You Are”
June 3rd, 2026
Tough talk for the Buccaneers’ big-money cornerback.
Rondé Barber knows Zyon McCollum is being paid handsomely. The $16 million that will land in McCollum’s pocket makes him roughly a top-20 cornerback when it comes to annual salary.
It’s hot-seat time for the 27-year-old, a guy oozing with athletic talent.
“This has got to be his year, and that’s not pressure,” Barber said of McCollum on WDAE radio. “He doesn’t need to put any pressure on himself, but just looking at just the reality of his evolution, like this has got to be the year. At some point you need to start proving that you are who you are. And for him, he needs to study himself. He needs to find a way to evaluate himself day in and day out. Go into work every day with the attitude that, ‘I’m getting better. I might get incrementally better in one practice.’ But that’s got to be his attitude the whole team.’
Barber added that McCollum is now “the guy” in a cornerbacks room filled with “second-year guys and a bunch of free agents.” That’s not a status McCollum can escape, Barber said, and and he he needs to step up into that role, as well as produce on the field.
Joe considers McCollum a true wild card. Nobody knows if he’ll snap out of the funk that made him look like a backup during much of last season.