In the face of continued, pronounced failure, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have continued to take big swings on secondary contracts and watched those contracts blow up in their faces.
Carlton Davis ($44.5 million), Jamel Dean ($52 million), Antoine Winfield Jr. ($84.1 million) and Zyon McCollum ($48 million) all got paid big money and responded with playing the worst football of their careers.
Davis was traded to the Detroit Lions before the 2024 seasons. Dean will be gone soon, in free agency. Winfield and McCollum will be back in 2026, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
In the shadow of those disappointments, a new star may have emerged in rookie cornerback Jacob Parrish, a 2025 third round pick (No. 84 overall) who carved out his own unique piece of NFL history in his first season in Tampa.
Parrish was one of 2 Buccaneers to make the NFL All-Rookie Team alongside wide receiver and first round pick (No. 19 overall) Emeka Egbuka.
From the Bucs’ official X account: “CB Jacob Parrish in 2025: The fourth rookie DB since 2010 to record 75+ tackles and multiple INTs/sacks, joining Kansas City’s Eric Berry in 2010, L.A. Chargers‘ Derwin James in 2018 and Washington’s Kamren Curl in 2020.”
That’s incredible company to keep. Berry was a 5-time Pro Bowler and 3-time NFL All-Pro in just 9 NFL seasons. James is the NFL’s elite safety and is a 6-time NFL All-Pro and 5-time Pro Bowler in his first 8 seasons. Curl has gone from a throwaway, seventh round draft pick in 2020 to being in line for a contract worth upwards of $50 million this offseason.
Parrish Didn’t Hesitate Against NFL Competition
Parrish, 5-foot-10 and 198 pounds, didn’t just put up good stats — he also graded out well on tape. Pro Football Focus gave Parrish a 69.3 overall grade for his rookie season, putting him at 26th out of 114 eligible NFL cornerbacks.
By comparison, McCollum graded out at 63.9 (54th).
Parrish played in all 17 games as a rookie and made just 5 starts, finishing with 76 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2.0 sacks, 7 pass deflections, 7 TFL and 1 fumble recovery.
“Jacob Parrish is really good,” Sleeper Bucs wrote on its official X account. “His future is so bright in Tampa Bay.”
“President/Founder/CEO of the Jacob Parrish FC,” Bucs Wire’s Ashlie Abrahams wrote on X. “My young demon.”
“Jacob Parrish should be mentioned in DROTY conversations,” Scoutd NFL wrote on X.
Bucs Found First Round Talent in Third Round
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler heaped lavish praise on the Buccaneers for taking Parrish.
“Third-round corner Jacob Parrish can be considered a winning pick for Tampa,” Fowler wrote on May 7. “I talked to a few teams predraft that listed him as a sleeper for the end of the first or early second, though some obviously thought that was too rich … Head coach Todd Bowles wanted better depth (at cornerback) coming out of last year.”
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg had Parrish listed as his top “sleeper” pick leading into the draft. In his last 2 college seasons at Kansas State, Parrish had 5 interceptions and 21 pass deflections along with 90 tackles and was a 2-time All-Big 12 pick in just 3 seasons. He also closed out his career making 24 consecutive starts for the Wildcats.
Bucs Rookie CB Jacob Parrish Joins NFL All-Pro Duo in Record Books