Carl Nassib has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Originally reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles confirmed the news at a press conference on Tuesday.
“Carls’ tough in the run,” Bowles said. “When he was here with us, he’s a very good pass rusher on the outside and he can also play inside on some nickel situations. He has a lot of versatility, he brings a lot of energy, brings a lot of toughness and he understands the system. He was comfortable in it, so we look forward to him coming here.”
Nassib previously played for the Buccaneers in 2018 and 2019, having strong seasons that led to the Las Vegas Raiders signing him to a large multi-year deal.
Nassib was released by the Raiders earlier this year after a guaranteed contract would have used about $7 million against the Raiders’ 2022 salary cap. As Outsports has said all along, homophobia had nothing to do with his release — It was a business decision.
Now the Bucs have made another important business decision, bringing in a productive defensive player. Not only did he play for this very team, but he also played for Bowles, who was the defensive coordinator his second season in Tampa Bay.
The signing shows that the NFL can and will accept gay players who can help a team win. The Buccaneers won the Super Bowl two seasons ago and were a playoff team last year until being upset in the playoffs by the Los Angeles Rams, who went on to win the Super Bowl.
With Tom Brady at the help of the offense, Nassib walks onto a team that is favored to win their division.
