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Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe.
Whatever the Seattle Seahawks used to dominate opponents on the way to becoming Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could certainly use a dose of.
That might come in free agency, where many of the Seahawks’ key players on defense are headed. Pro Football Focus called the Buccaneers the top landing spot for one of them in 6-foot-4, 261-pound edge rusher Boye Mafe.
Mafe, a 2022 2nd round pick, has 20.0 sacks through his first 4 season and just played out a 4-year, $8.5 million rookie contract.
“Although Mafe didn’t headline the Seahawks‘ pass rush this past season, his career body of work is well worth the investment,” PFF’s Mason Cameron wrote. “His 84.2 PFF pass-rush grade on true pass sets over the past three seasons ranks in the 80th percentile. But Mafe’s talent doesn’t stop there, as he also profiles as a plus run defender, with his 70.8 PFF run-defense grade since 2023 also ranking in the 80th percentile. Mafe would be an excellent fit for a Buccaneers defense that aims to suffocate opposing run games.”
Spotrac projects Mafe’s current market value at something in the range of a 3-year, $36.7 million contract. That’s still almost $2 million per year less than the Buccaneers just paid last year’s big free agent splash signing with former edge rusher Haason Reddick on a 1-year, $14 million contract that paid little to no dividends.
Bucs Avoided Disaster With Reddick Contract
While paying Reddick $14 million and getting just 2.0 sacks in return isn’t ideal, the Buccaneers and general manager Jason Licht at least had the foresight to not make it a multi-year deal.
The Buccaneers were barely a month into the season when it became clear Reddick no longer had the juice that made him a 2-time NFL All-Pro with the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon singled out Reddick’s lack of productivity as the Buccaneers’ “Biggest Problem” headed into a Week 6 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Reddick would finish the year with just 2.5 sacks, missed 4 games due to injuries and the Buccaneers finished 8-9 overall while they missed the playoffs for the 1st time since 2019.
“The Buccaneers beat the Seahawks in Week 5 despite the fact the defense failed to get much pressure on Sam Darnold while allowing 35 points,” Gagnon wrote on October 10. “That unit has just 10 sacks on the season, and a big part of that is the lack of production from its $14 million offseason addition. It’s fair to wonder if Reddick is rusty following what was essentially a lost season with the Jets in 2024.”
Bucs Might Also Draft Edge Rusher
In his 1st mock draft following the Super Bowl, ESPN’s Field Yates predicts the Buccaneers will select Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell in the 1st round (No. 17 overall).
“The Buccaneers must add pass-rush juice this offseason, as they have gone four straight seasons without a player reaching the eight-sack mark,” Yates wrote. “There’s an argument that Howell is the most explosive rusher in the class — he and (David) Bailey are my top two contenders. Howell won SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2025 with 11.5 sacks. He lacks prototypical arm length for an edge rusher but more than makes up for it with his athletic burst and ability to bend around offensive tackles. He’d help get this pass rush on track.”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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