The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Yaya Diaby are likely to engage in contract talks this offseason. While Diaby understands that it is going to come with him being due a new contract, he is staying focused on football and letting the rest take care of itself.
This is the smart approach for Diaby, as his agent can handle the negotiations. If Diaby shows up motivated and the Bucs are expecting a big year from him, they are going to offer him a deal to get ahead of the market.
Diaby is in the last year of his rookie deal, so if the Bucs do not sign him before the year starts, he is going to start to hear offers from other teams. Once the bidding war of free agency starts, it is hard to retain your own players, especially players of a significant position, such as a pass rusher.
If Diaby has a big season, retaining him would be much more expensive, which is why he needs to continue to focus on that and let the money come after that.
Yaya Diaby Should Get $20M per Year from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Getty
When looking at recent players coming off their rookie salaries to get significant extensions, Diaby will be compared to Travon Walker, Odafe Oweh, George Karlaftis, Boye Mafe, and Greg Rousseau. All of them are around the age and pedigree of Diaby.
Walker signed a deal for $27.5M per year, Oweh signed this offseason in free agency for $24M per year, Karlaftis was extended for $22M per year, and then both Mafe and Rousseau signed deals for $20M per year, both in free agency and as an extension. This is likely the range that Diaby is looking into.
Since entering the NFL, Diaby has 19 career sacks. Karlaftis and Walker are at 24.5 sacks, Oweh is at 22.5, Rousseau is at 20, and then Mafe is at 17. So, if anything, $20M per year could be the mark for Diaby. This is the same salary that Rousseau and Mafe signed, and he is right in between those two in sacks.
Diaby’s agent would say that the salary cap is going up and he should make a bit more than these two got, but that getting the money that Karlaftis saw might not be easy.
Bucs Defensive Front Should be Much Better in 2026
One thing helping Diaby this year is that he will not have to carry the load, which he had to do often last year. The Bucs drafted Rueben Bain 15th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he will get as much, if not more attention than Diaby this year. When you add in Al-Quadin Muhammad as a third rusher, the room is better overall.
This does not even factor in the interior defensive line. The Bucs signed A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, they drafted Damone Capehart, and they are getting Calijah Kancey back healthy. This should be the best group the Bucs have had around Diaby, strengthening the idea that they should extend him before the year starts.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Buccaneers Star Defender Addresses Contract Talks appeared first on HEAVY.