Two young and talented Bucs players will be getting raises in 2026. Article 7, Section 4 of the 2020 NFL/NFL Players Association Collective Bargaining Agreement governs “Proven Performance Escalators.”
These are mandated raises for players who were drafted in the second through seventh rounds of the NFL draft as they enter their fourth year in the league if they meet certain criterion. This allows players who have, to this point in their careers, outplayed their rookie contracts.
There are three levels to the PPE program. From Over The Cap:
- The Level One PPE is earned if a player participates in a certain percentage of a team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons or averages that percentage of offensive or defensive snaps over his entire first three years. For 2nd round picks, the average is 60%, and (as was the same in the 2011 CBA) for 3rd-7th round picks it is 35%.
- The Level Two PPE is earned if a player participates in at least 55% of a team’s offensive or defensive snaps in all of his first three seasons.
- The Level Three PPE is earned if a player is selected to a Pro Bowl on the original ballot (not as an alternate) in any of his first three seasons.
Two Bucs Qualify For PPE in 2026
Right guard Cody Mauch played 100% of the Bucs’ 2023 offensive snaps and 99.2% of their 2024 snaps before missing most of the 2025 season due to a knee injury. His play in 2024 was a big reason Tampa Bay’s offense was a top three unit in the NFL. That year Pro Football Focus gave him a 74.6 overall grade and a 77.2 pass block grade. That pass block grade was sixth best among all guards with at least 676 snaps that year.
Bucs RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: USA Today
Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby has seen his playing time steadily increase each year since entering the league in 2023. His rookie year he played 45.7% of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps, with that number increasing to 70.3% in 2024 and hitting a career high of 75.0% last year. He registered seven sacks and 62 pressures last year and has 19.0 and 162 for his career.
Both players will now earn $3,674,000 this year with their raises. Mauch was set to earn $1,770,747 and Diaby was set to earn $1,495,284. Since both players have completed three seasons and are also extension eligible. Diaby is the most likely player on the roster under contract for 2026 to receive a long-term extension. Because Mauch missed most of last year the Bucs will want to see how he bounces back this year before committing to a long-term deal.
One Other Player On The Bubble
Over The Cap also lists linebacker SirVocea Dennis as a player who has earned the PPE bump. Their calculations have Dennis playing 10.1% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2023, 9.3% in 2024 and 87.2% last year. That averages to 35.5% for the three-year period, just barely clearing the threshold, but as we at Pewter Report understand it, he will actually miss the cutoff by a small margin.
Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
If Dennis hit the threshold and got the bump, he would have been a cut candidate as the raise is not guaranteed. If he does, in fact, earn the bump the team would likely force him into a pay cut to remain on the roster, giving him a small guarantee in exchange for a reduced salary.
Other players who have received the PPE raise in years past include Antoine Winfield Jr.