The Buffalo Bills desperately need help at cornerback, which might have to come through a trade — they just might want to be careful who they go after in all that desperation.
Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Bradley Locker pitched a trade on Wednesday that would bring Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum to Buffalo.
The Buccaneers are 0-4 and could be headed toward a massive rebuild; they might want to get a jump start on it by shedding contracts. McCollum signed a 3-year, $48 million extension in 2025.
“McCollum enjoyed a tremendous start to the 2024 season, but since then, his production has certainly waned,” Locker wrote on October 7. “Over the first four games of 2026, McCollum sports just a 58.3 PFF coverage grade, although his passer rating against (80.4) and forced incompletion rate (13.3%) are both in at least the 60th percentile. In the first year of a three-year, $48 million extension, McCollum is another defender the Buccaneers could look to shed.”
McCollum ‘Biggest Weakness’ on Bucs’ Roster
McCollum has done nothing to justify his massive payday since signing that $48 million contract in 2025.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox singled out cornerback as the “Biggest Weakness” for the Buccaneers in 2026.
“To be fair, cornerbacks Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison both showed a lot of promise as rookies last season,” Knox wrote on July 27. “However, Tampa still ranked 26th in net yards per pass attempt allowed, and the offseason departure of Jamel Deal leaves questions about the Bucs’ cornerback group. Parrish was mostly reliable last season, but Morrison was in and out of the lineup and allowed an opposing passer rating of 112.2 in coverage. Fellow projected starter Zyon McCollum allowed an opposing passer rating of 100.9 in coverage.”
Zyon McCollum’s Failings on Full Display in 2025
The Buccaneers moved to pay McCollum like an elite cornerback, and he went about showing them all the ways he was very much not that in 2025.
In a 34-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12, McCollum’s struggles were in the spotlight after veteran wide receiver Davante Adams burned him for 2 easy touchdowns.
“The result was predictable, with the Rams taking complete advantage of the Tampa Bay secondary,” The Pewter Plank’s Josh Crysler wrote in November 2025. “The main victim, especially throughout the first half was Zyon McCollum, who has been a massive disappointment after signing a three-year, $48 million contract last offseason. McCollum, on seven targets, surrendered six catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone. The Rams consistently picked on him in coverage, and whether in zone or man coverage, McCollum and the Bucs defense as a whole had zero answers.”
Bucs Trade Pitch Sends CB Zyon McCollum to Super Bowl Contender