Getty San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Randy Gregory.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need lots of help when it comes to edge rushers, which is why they signed Randy Gregory to a 1-year contract worth up to $5 million.
Both team and player now seem like they’re on uncertain ground just two months after signing said contract after Gregory was an unexcused no-show at Buccaneers’ minicamp for the third and final day on June 13.
Gregory now faces approximately $101,000 in fines for missing minicamp.
Tampa Bay veteran linebacker Lavonte David addressed Gregory’s absence on June 12, saying it was “something personal,” that kept the 10-year NFL veteran away from his new team.
“(Gregory) will be here for training camp and ready to go,” David told Tampa Free Press reporter Rock Riley via a video post on X.
Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles expressed his discomfort with Gregory’s absence after the first day of minicamp.
“It’s disappointing when anyone’s not here but we’ll deal with it,” Tampa Bay head Bowles told ESPN’s Jenna Laine on June 11. “We’ll deal with it. Right now, I’m only gonna coach the guys that’s here.”
Gregory Has Long History of NFL Suspensions
Gregory was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft and has been suspended for a total of 50 games across 9 seasons, including 14 games in 2016 and all of 2017 and 2019 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Gregory returned to the Cowboys in 2020 and had a breakout year in 2021 with a career-high 6.0 sacks and 3 forced fumbles, leading to the Denver Broncos handing him a 5-year, $70 million contract with $28 million in guaranteed money in March 2022.
Gregory only played 10 games for the Broncos over the next two seasons before he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in Oct. 2023, where he played through their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
Gregory recently filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the Broncos over $532,500 in fines for positive THC tests.
Gregory alleges he was discriminated against by the NFL and Broncos after he was prescribed a drug that contains a synthetic form of THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana, in order to treat social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Gregory applied for a therapeutic use exemption to use the drug but was denied by the Broncos and the NFL, which no longer tests for marijuana but does test for synthetic marijuana.
Should the Buccaneers Cut Gregory?
Gregory may have already proven to be enough of a distraction that the Buccaneers might consider parting ways with him before his tenure even starts.
Gregory’s contract contains $1.365 million in guaranteed money and as a post-June 1 cut, would cost Tampa Bay that amount in dead money, according to OvertheCap.com.
The Buccaneers drafted another edge rusher in 2024 in 6-foot-3, 251-pound Alabama star Chris Braswell, a second-round pick (No. 57 overall) who only started two games over the last three seasons.
Braswell still had 42 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 8.0 sacks, returned an interception for a touchdown and led the team with 3 forced fumbles in 2023.
“As a pass rusher, he gets off the ball with good burst and uses a variety of moves, speeds and angles to create opportunities but needs to add counters to his approach,” wrote NFL analyst Lance Zierlein. “Braswell might have a ceiling as a good 3-4 backup or average designated pass rusher with core special teams value.