NFL: Carl Nassib signs deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Carl Nassib signs one-year deal with the Buccaneers as former Las Vegas Raider and NFL’s only openly-gay player returns to Tampa Bay to link up with Tom Brady
- Carl Nassib is returning to the Tampa Bay Bucs after two seasons in Las Vegas
- Nassib played for the Buccaneers during the 2018 and 2019 NFL seasons
- The 29-year-old had four sacks with LV but 12.5 over the same time in Tampa
- Tampa head coach Todd Bowles was Nassib’s defensive coordinator in 2019
- Nassib came out as gay in June of 2021 and is the NFL’s only openly-gay player
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Former Las Vegas Raider Carl Nassib will continue his NFL career as a teammate of Tom Brady after signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Nassib signed a one-year deal with the NFC South team after being cut by the Raiders in March after two seasons.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for the NFL’s only openly-gay player after suiting up for the Bucs during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Carl Nassib returns to Tampa Bay after amassing 12.5 sacks during his two-year stint
He is familiar with head coach Todd Bowles, who served as defensive coordinator during Nassib’s final season in Tampa.
The 29-year-old first arrived in Tampa as a waiver claim from Cleveland before dialing up 12.5 sacks — including six under Bowles’ watch.
Sacks dried up while Nassib was in the desert, amassing a total of four in two seasons with Las Vegas.
Nassib will offer Tampa further defensive depth after a recent foot injury to Cam Gill and the release of Super Bowl champion, Jason Pierre-Paul.
Nassib was taken in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft after being named an All-American
The former Nittany-Lion will also prove useful on special teams, having played over a century of snaps (101) for the Raiders in 2021.
Nassib made his NFL bow with Cleveland during the 2016 season. He was a third round pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
In June 2021, the 6-foot-7 defensive end became the first active NFL player to come out publicly.
At the time, he released a statement via his Instagram account about his sexuality.
Nassib has 22 sacks, one interception and four forced fumbles across his six-year NFL career.
Nassib played his college football for Penn State and won the Hendricks Award in his final year