The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed former Washington Huskies star defensive tackle Greg Gaines to a one-year, $3.25 million contract on Wednesday, retaining a key rotational piece on their defensive line. The six-year veteran has proven his worth as a depth piece alongside his college teammate, Pro Bowler Vita Vea, on head coach Todd Bowles’ defense.

He joined the Buccaneers in 2023 as an unrestricted free agent after spending the first four years of his career with the Los Angeles Rams and recorded 24 tackles, a sack, 5 quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery in his first year with Tampa Bay.Aided by a stellar performance in the Wild Card Round game against the Washington Commanders, where he posted six tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, a career-best effort, Gaines earned another go-around in the NFC South.

Gaines’ journey to the NFL began at Washington, where he redshirted in 2014 before becoming an impact piece of coach Chris Petersen’s defensive line as the Huskies made a run to the College Football Playoff and appeared in three straight New Year’s Six bowl games. During his senior season in 2018, he was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and won the prestigious Morris Trophy, which is awarded annually to the conference’s top defensive lineman as voted on by opposing players after he racked up a career-high 55 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

Selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, Gaines had a standout 2021 campaign where he tallied a career-high 4.5 sacks and played a key role in the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory. His move to Tampa Bay reunited him with Vea, with whom he had terrorized Pac-12 offenses years earlier. Together, they’ve anchored the team’s defensive line as the Buccaneers have won back-to-back NFC South division titles.