Kenny Gainwell

Gainwell broke through as a fifth-year player on a one-year deal for Pittsburgh in 2025, accumulating 1,023 yards from scrimmage on 514 snaps, a box score largely propelled by 73 receptions on 85 targets -- nearly the total of targets he saw in the prior three years combined (88). Gainwell was a high-volume pass catcher at Memphis in college, so his receiving skills are nothing new, and yet there was something about the 2025 Pittsburgh offense that fully unleashed him. The breakout performance netted him a two-year, $14 million contract with Tampa Bay, where Gainwell presumably will fill a receiving-oriented role off the bench behind Bucky Irving. A great deal of Gainwell's target volume in 2025 seemed related to post-decline Aaron Rodgers' primitive passing capabilities -- Rodgers often treated the ball like a hot potato, quickly throwing to the flats -- and it's probably safe to say Baker Mayfield will not play that same way. Rachaad White is a similarly skilled pass catcher to Gainwell, for instance, yet his career high in targets with Mayfield was 70 on 823 snaps in 2023. If the Buccaneers unveil new designed targets for Gainwell, that would be one way to juice his per-snap target rate to higher levels than White showed, and it otherwise remains possible that Gainwell forces a fairly even timeshare split with Irving. Power back Sean Tucker is also still around as a threat to poach short-yardage touchdowns, so the 2026 Buccaneers backfield could be somewhat crowded. Read Past Outlooks