Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Trey Palmer (10) smiles before their game against the Detroit Lions. Eamon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Buccaneers cut speedy WR after reportedly looking for trade partner

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 10:50 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had high hopes for Trey Palmer when they drafted him in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he wasn't able to stick around as long as they'd have liked.

The Buccaneers have been making their roster cuts as the 4 p.m. deadline on Tuesday approaches, and Palmer was another casualty in 2025. The Buccaneers cut Palmer early on Tuesday after reportedly trying to find a trade partner for him at multiple points during the offseason, per the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud.

Bucs are waiving WR Trey Palmer.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 26, 2025

With Palmer gone, the Buccaneers have narrowed down their wide receiver room, and the tough decision for who gets a final roster spot on such a stacked room has become a bit clearer.

Buccaneers moving on from Trey Palmer

The Bucs have been linked with potential trades for Palmer all offseason. There was a link with the Pittsburgh Steelers early on in the year that didn't materialize, and there was an understanding that the team would try and move him before roster cuts in an effort to get some value out of him. It doesn't seem like they were able to, however, so Palmer has been waived.

Including the playoffs, Palmer has caught 54 passes for 645 yards and has scored 5 touchdowns in 35 games for the Buccaneers. He had his best year under offensive coordinator Dave Canales in 2023, where he made his most famous play — a 56-yard touchdown catch that saw him cut through a number of Philadelphia Eagles defenders to secure a playoff win in 2023. Since then, though, he had trouble getting snaps in a 2024 season that saw multiple wideouts go down, which was indicative that the end was near for Palmer in Tampa Bay.

Now, the Buccaneers look to secure their final wide receivers on the roster. Wideouts Tez Johnson, Sterling Shepard and Ryan Miller all have good cases to make the cut, and Garrett Greene and Kameron Johnson will also be battling for a spot on either the roster or the practice squad.