Randy Gregory, Buccaneers Agree to Contract in 2024 NFL Free Agency After 49ers Stint

After spending most of 2023 with the San Francisco 49ers, Randy Gregory is going to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next season.

The Buccaneers announced Wednesday that they have signed Gregory to a deal in free agency:

NFL Insider Jordan Schultz was the first to report the deal.

Gregory began last season with the Denver Broncos, but he lost his starting spot when Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper were more effective early in the year.

Head coach Sean Payton initially planned to release Gregory, but the 49ers decided to trade for him by sending a 2024 sixth-round draft pick to Denver.

Even though Gregory signed a five-year, $70 million deal with the Broncos in March 2022, the 49ers acquired his contract with no guaranteed money left. This allowed them to move on without incurring any financial penalties in future years.

Gregory was used as a rotation player during his time with San Francisco. He recorded eight quarterback hits, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 12 games.

During the 49ers' postseason run, Gregory had five combined tackles and one tackle for loss.

Gregory has always been an inconsistent player throughout his NFL career. The 31-year-old had some impressive seasons during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. He had three consecutive seasons played with at least 12 quarterback hits from 2018 to 2021.

There is an off-field history that Gregory brings with him. He was suspended indefinitely by the NFL in February 2019 for violating the league's substance abuse policy and the terms of his conditional reinstatement from a previous suspension in 2017.

Since being reinstated again during the 2020 season, Gregory hasn't encountered any issues.

As long as Gregory can stay on the field for the Buccaneers, he's capable of being a productive pass-rusher off the edge. He's had 17 quarterback hits in 22 games over the past two seasons.

But it's only been 22 games due in part to injuries, including one to his knee that landed him on injured reserve early in the 2022 season and kept him out for 11 of the Broncos' final 13 games.