Buccaneers First Round Pick Rueben Bain Jr. Signs Contract

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have locked in their first round pick.

Miami Hurricanes defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially signed their first round draft pick.

Buccaneers edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., picked No. 15 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, signed his contract on Thursday, per the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud. Bain signs his contract as rookie minicamp begins, getting it out of the way before getting to work on the field.

Bucs first round pick Rueben Bain Jr. has signed his rookie contract which is four years with a club option.

— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) May 7, 2026

Buccaneers sign Rueben Bain Jr. to contract

Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) against the Indiana Hoosiers during the College Football Playoff | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Per the NFLPA's collective bargaining agreement, all rookie contracts are technically set before the draft begins. With that in mind, Bain's contract is a four-year deal with a fifth-year option — it's worth $23,760,590, with Bain set to receive a signing bonus of $13.74 million and earn $7,560,188 in his final year.

What isn't decided, however, and why draft picks will sometimes hold out for extended periods of time before signing their contract, is contract language. That includes guarantees, signing bonuses and offset language — offset language is what would allow teams to recuperate a certain amount of guaranteed money should the player be waived, so it tends to be particularly important when it comes to rookie deals.

It's unknown what type of language Bain's contract specifically has, but he's found the terms agreeable and is all set for the next four years — and potentially a fifth — in Tampa Bay.

None of Tampa Bay's other draft picks have signed yet. Those contracts should occur in the coming days, but some players will be watching to see what other teams do. Last year, for example, multiple second-round picks held out for quite a long time to see if teams would fully guarantee their contract.

Rookie minicamp has begun for the Buccaneers, and it will continue throughout the weekend. After that, the Bucs will hold Organized Team Activities, or OTAs, and then mandatory minicamp before a long break leading up to training camp.

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