Will Buccaneers Pick Up Calijah Kancey's Fifth-Year Option This Offseason?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have to come to a decision on Kancey's future — but they have time.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (94) looks on before training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted defensive tackle Calijah Kancey in 2023 to help them rush the passer at a high level. So far, entering his fourth year, Kancey has done a decent job at that — when he's healthy.

Kancey has missed 22 games over three years so far in his career, so staying healthy will be his No. 1 priority as a player heading into 2026. Kancey enters the last year of his initial four-year contract this season, but because he's a first-round pick, the Buccaneers have the option to activate his fifth-year option — something many other teams are already doing for their first-rounders from 2023. That would secure him for another year while the two sides get together on another contract, but Kancey is a little tough to evaluate based on how many games he has missed so far over his career.

Kancey spoke on Monday when the Buccaneers reported back to the building for the first day of the new season, and when asked about the Bucs potentially picking up his fifth-year option, he mentioned that he hasn't spoken to them about it and is simply focused on playing football.

"Honestly, I don't know nothing about that," Kancey said. "I'm here to play football. I wish I had more knowledge on it, but that's nothing I'm worried about. I know if I go out there and do what I need to do, it'll all happen. So that's the least of my worries."

He's certainly right about one thing — if he plays at a high level in 2026, the Buccaneers would have no problem giving him his option. But what exactly will he have to do to make that happen?

Buccaneers will have to make decision on Kancey's future

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (94) run on the field against the New Orleans Saints | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The main thing that Kancey has to do is to simply be healthy. He hasn't been productive overall because he hasn't been on the field — he was plagued by calf injuries in 2023 and 2024 that kept him out of the first few games in each of those seasons, and then he missed 14 games with a pectoral tear last season in 2025.

Should he do that, though, the stats back him up quite a bit. Kancey had 7.5 sacks during his 2024 campaign despite missing five games, ranking seventh among NFL DTs. He tied for 20th in the NFL among interior defensive linemen in pressures that year with 39, per PFF, showing that he can get to the quarterback often when compared to his peers. When he is on the field, he performs in the passing game, but he has to be able to stay healthy.

Kancey's fifth-year option will cost the Bucs $14,475,000 in 2026, should they want to take it. It makes sense to wait on how Kancey plays this year, as opposed to other teams using the option now — if Kancey is healthy and can play similarly to how he did in 2024, an extension makes sense. If he misses a lot of time once again this year, though, there's good reason to doubt that Kancey would be able to stay on the field for an extended period of time.

The Bucs will try to get Kancey some help on the defensive side of the ball when the NFL Draft starts this Thursday. But regardless of who the Bucs pick, Kancey will be taking care of his body all this offseason in an attempt to play all 17 games (and potentially more) in 2026.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.