Carl Nassib has found a new gig. The defensive end has signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
After collecting 12.5 sacks during his two seasons with the Buccaneers, Nassib inked a three-year, $25M deal with the Raiders in 2020. Following his first season in Las Vegas, Nassib made headlines when he became the first openly gay active player in the NFL. The defensive end ended up getting into 27 games during his two seasons with the organization, compiling 49 tackles and four sacks. Had Nassib played enough defensive snaps in 2021 to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ rankings, he would have been listed as a middle-of-the-road edge rusher. The Raiders ended up cutting the 29-year-old back in March, creating $8M in cap savings.
Nassib spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons in Tampa Bay, and today’s move will reunite him with Todd Bowles, who served as his defensive coordinator during the 2019 campaign. While Nassib mostly served as an edge rusher during his stint with the Raiders, there’s a good chance he’ll return to linebacker in Tampa Bay.
As ESPN’s Jenna Laine writes, Cam Gill recently went down with a Lisfranc injury, and the Buccaneers were already relying on an inexperienced starting LB in former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who is slated to replace Jason Pierre-Paul. Nassib can help provide some veteran stability at the position, although there’s probably little chance he cracks the starting lineup.
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