Eyed by Lane Kiffin, How Much More Money Could Jack Pyburn Get from LSU Compared to Bucs Contract?

For former LSU linebacker Jack Pyburn, getting cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2026 NFL season might be financially advantageous.

Pyburn is among those who could head back to college after a Louisiana judge granted a restraining order in his favor.

"I'm kind of caught in the middle of a whirlwind, and I'm just trying to play football," he said, per The Athletic's Matt Baker.

Pyburn signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. Should he make Tampa Bay's squad, he'd earn an $885,000 base salary for 2026. His three-year deal is worth $3.1 million overall.

According to Baker, two NIL agents pegged his value "in the $1 million range" if he were to play another year in college.

Because of the judge's order, coaches could potentially add new players less than two weeks out from the start of the regular season.

LSU's Lane Kiffin was an early adopter in terms of building his team through the transfer portal. In light of recent events, he's keeping his options open.

"There's a lot into that," he told reporters when asked of making late changes. "The questions that come to that. So, it's a fair question but I'm not going to comment on any of it. It's too many directions of questions that it could go to."

Pyburn made 41 appearances over four seasons, the first three coming with Florida before he headed for Baton Rouge. With the Tigers last year, he had two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.

Making the Buccaneers is probably the best thing for Pyburn's football career.

Maybe he could earn more in NIL money than the NFL minimum salary, but practicing against pros and possibly seeing meaningful snaps will help better develop his game.

Pyburn may now have a nice fallback in the event he doesn't crack the final 53-man roster.