If “Motivated,” Bucs Could Sign Trey Hendrickson
March 6th, 2026
It can be done.
Man, as lousy as the Bucs are at an edge rush, Joe cannot fathom how a team wouldn’t be “motivated” to sign a star edge rusher with 74.5 sacks this decade alone.
If a team isn’t “motivated” to improve a woeful edge rush like that, then one could easily question if the same team is serious about winning.
Unfair? Perhaps. But it’s also unfair to subject fans to pay to watch what the Bucs trotted onto the field for an edge rush last season.
Last week, NFL insider Adam Schefter, appearing on the “Pardon My Take” podcast with Big Cat and PFT Commenter, said star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson “would love to be in Tampa” to play for the Bucs.
Logan Ulrich of NFL Trade Rumors believes if the Bucs are “motivated,” they can sign Hendrickson with a little capologist magic.
Still, motivated teams can find a way to make it work on the cap most of the time. Restructuring guaranteed salaries for LT Tristan Wirfs and WR Chris Godwin adds $34 million in cap space and tapping into the deals of S Antoine Winfield and DT Vita Vea could add another $20 million. The Bucs have a trump card they can play, too — no income tax in the state of Florida. That could give them a hometown edge in negotiations.
The following is all Joe will type about this issue:
If a guy who grew up in Apopka and went to Warren Sapp High School, a guy who reportedly wants to play for the Bucs, a team desperate for an edge rusher — if the Bucs don’t seriously discuss with that guy what he needs to sign, then “Shame on you, Bucs. Shame. On. You!”