The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have become perennial playoff contenders in the NFC, making the playoffs in five consecutive seasons and winning the NFC South four years in a row. It’s been an impressive run of success.
As the team looks to continue their winning ways and contend for a Super Bowl in 2025, there are some players that could be available via trade who could help put the finishing touches on a championship-caliber roster.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Only Have 1 Major Need Following 2025 NFL Draft
Going into the 2025 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers had no shortage of needs to fill across all three levels of the defense.
Todd Bowles’ unit earned a mediocre 74.5 regular-season grade in 2024 per PFSN’s Defense+ metric, ranking No. 16 in the league.
The team needed to add reinforcements to the secondary after injuries and lack of depth doomed them in 2024. Adding to their arsenal at edge rusher was another key priority in the offseason, even after signing Haason Reddick to a one-year deal in free agency.
The Bucs addressed both needs in the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting two pass-rush specialists in linebacker David Walker (Central Arkansas) and defensive end Elijah Roberts (SMU), along with a pair of cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame) and Jacob Parrish (Kansas State).
Depth at wide receiver was also an area of need. Mike Evans will be 32 years old in August, while 29-year-old Chris Godwin is returning from his second major injury. All three of the team’s top receivers missed at least four games a season ago.
Video: Bucs Wide Receiver Room Has Us SHOCKED!
Do the #Bucs have the NFL’s best WR room after drafting Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson? We reacted to these moves and what they mean going forward with PFF’s Trevor Sikkema last week.https://t.co/meIHF2cIac
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) May 4, 2025
The Bucs bolstered their wide receiver room by drafting Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka in Round 1, then adding Tez Johnson out of Oregon in Round 7.
The one need that wasn’t addressed during the draft was at the inside linebacker spot. The Bucs’ longest tenured player and captain, Lavonte David, is entering his final season after taking his time to ponder retirement this offseason.
The team likes SirVocea Dennis — a fifth-round pick in 2023 — but injuries have hindered his development. They also re-signed Deion Jones after he showed flashes as a backup late last season, and signed Anthony Walker in free agency.
With the Buccaneers’ remaining needs in mind, which players could they acquire to help complete their roster following the 2025 NFL Draft?
4 Potential Trade Targets for the Buccaneers
Germaine Pratt, LB, Cincinnati Bengals
Pratt, a third-round pick in 2019, has been a solid contributor for the Bengals. He posted a career-high 143 combined tackles in 2024, along with two interceptions. Over his career, he has accumulated more than 600 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and seven interceptions.
So why might the Bengals move on from such a productive player? The 28-year-old is entering the final year of a three-year, $20.25 million contract and carries a cap hit of over $8 million for the upcoming season.
Cincinnati seems to have already lined up potential replacements, selecting two inside linebackers—South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr. and Clemson’s Barrett Carter—in the 2025 NFL Draft.
With significant financial investments already committed to the offense and a contract dispute brewing with Trey Hendrickson, it would be surprising if the Bengals re-signed Pratt next offseason. Jason Licht and the Buccaneers could get ahead of the curve by trading for Pratt now, adding him to a thin linebacker corps in Tampa Bay.
Devin Lloyd, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lloyd has recently been linked to the Buccaneers, as the Jaguars appear ready to move on from him. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is in need of talent at linebacker. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has existing ties to the Bucs’ front office from his time as an offensive coordinator, which could help facilitate a trade.
Lloyd, only 26 years old and a former first-round pick, has tallied over 100 tackles in each of his first three NFL seasons. Through three years, he has recorded 355 total tackles, two sacks, and four interceptions.
Reports indicate that Jacksonville does not plan to exercise Lloyd’s fifth-year option, making him a free agent after this season. Like the situation with Pratt, the Buccaneers could acquire Lloyd now for a Day 3 pick, potentially securing a key contributor on defense before he hits the open market.
Jalen Ramsey, CB, Miami Dolphins
There’s a valid argument that acquiring Jalen Ramsey—via both draft capital and financial commitment—would be a risky move for Tampa Bay.
At 30 years old, if Ramsey is beginning to decline as a lockdown corner, it raises the question: Why should the Bucs make a significant investment in another aging, high-priced defensive back when they’re already committed to Jamel Dean?
The answer: Ramsey would still represent a significant upgrade. Despite being two years older than Dean, he didn’t miss a single game last season and continues to offer elite availability—a trait Dean has struggled to provide.
While no longer the undisputed best cornerback in the NFL, Ramsey remains among the league’s upper echelon. He’s also an elite tackler for his position, adding further value.
If Ramsey’s coverage skills decline significantly, the Bucs could explore moving him to safety—a transition they successfully managed with Ronde Barber at the end of his career. Ramsey, who has college experience at safety, possesses the versatility that head coach Todd Bowles values in his secondary.
Realistically, acquiring Ramsey would likely require a combination of picks and absorbing a large portion of his nearly $17 million cap hit—something Tampa Bay may not be willing to do. But if the Bucs could somehow convince the Dolphins to trade Ramsey for Dean and a mid-round pick without taking on most of his salary, Jason Licht should not hesitate to make the move and elevate the defense.
Jameis Winston, QB, New York Giants
I know—this sounds crazy. But hear me out.
The Buccaneers have legitimate playoff aspirations. They retained all 11 starters from an elite offensive unit that ranked No. 3 in the NFL last season, according to PFSN’s Offense+ metric, and revamped their defense this offseason.
A team with Super Bowl hopes can’t risk their season hinging on Kyle Trask or rookie Michael Pratt if something happens to Baker Mayfield. Neither backup has any starting experience, and an injury to Mayfield would likely derail the Bucs’ playoff chances.
Enter Jameis Winston.
The former Buccaneer is familiar with the city and organization and still maintains a strong rapport with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin—two of the league’s top receivers during Winston’s time under center.
Now entering his 11th NFL season, Winston brings far more experience than Trask or Pratt. For better or worse, he offers rare arm talent and an aggressive downfield passing ability that few backup quarterbacks can match. He’s one of only nine QBs in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season.
The Giants have already named Russell Wilson the starter and drafted Jaxson Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Winston has no realistic path to playing time in New York, making him a logical trade candidate. The Bucs could likely acquire him for a late-round pick swap—an affordable price for a high-upside insurance policy.
While Winston didn’t work out as Tampa Bay’s long-term solution from 2015–2019, he has since embraced a backup role and could be the perfect No. 2 quarterback for the team that originally drafted him—reuniting with old teammates and providing much-needed depth behind Mayfield.