Buccaneers quickly take care of huge offseason priority with Rueben Bain Jr. and several other rookies from the 2026 draft
Teams always want to get their rookies locked in as soon as possible and the Buccaneers have done just that with Rueben Bain Jr. and several other members of the 2026 draft class.
There have been many instances in the past where first-round rookies holdout and miss parts of training camp, but fortunately, that won’t be the case for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rueben Bain Jr., and another five members of the Bucs’ 2026 draft class.
That’s because the Buccaneers, Reuben Bain Jr., and the others all came to agreement on their rookie deals earlier in the week. Per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, Bain Jr., Keionte Scott, DeMonte Capehart, Billy Schrauth and Bauer Sharp all signed their respective deals on Thursday.
Former Georgia State receiver Ted Hurst signed his deal later that night when he arrived at team headquarters. That leaves only Josiah Trotter, the team’s second-round pick, unsigned.
How much money did the Buccaneers give Rueben Bain Jr.?
Per Adam Schefter, Bain Jr.’s four-year deal is “worth about” $23.75 million. It’s odd phrasing from Schefter, but I digress. Regardless, Bain Jr.’s deal includes a fifth-year option, customary with all first-round rookie contracts. Details have yet to be released regarding the other deals.
NFL rules allow unsigned rookies to participate in all offseason activities leading up to training camp. They have to be signed once training camp starts, though, or else they won’t be allowed to participate.
The last first-round pick to holdout into training camp is Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon in 2023. Witherspoon missed the first two days of camp due to the holdout, but eventually signed and got on the field. There was all the drama with the Cincinnati Bengals and Shemar Stewart last year, but Stewart signed his deal a couple of days before camp began.
Now, the attention turns to Trotter. It may be a while before he signs his deal, however, and that has nothing to do Jason Licht and the Buccaneers. Contract negotiations for second-round picks have become a lot more complicated over the last couple of years due the increase of guaranteed money associated with the deals.
Last year, eight second-rounders received fully-guaranteed deals that set off a major delay with other contracts. For instance, 30 of the 32 second-rounders had yet to sign their respective deals when teams began reporting for camp. Based on market tendencies, there should be more fully-guaranteed deals handed out this year and Trotter could be one of the recipients.
Regardless, everyone will be in attendance for Buccaneers rookie minicamp, which runs from May 8-10.