Buccaneers Waive Jack Pyburn, Clearing Path For Potential Return To LSU

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have waived former LSU edge rusher Jack Pyburn, opening the door for a potential return to Baton Rouge for the 2026 season.

Pyburn signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent on May 8 after playing his final college season at LSU in 2025.

Despite putting together an impressive preseason, Pyburn was waived Sunday as the Buccaneers trimmed their roster ahead of the regular season. He finished the preseason with four sacks, which led the NFL.

Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here.

Pyburn recorded two of those sacks in Tampa Bay's preseason finale against Jacksonville on Friday night, while also adding a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.

The next step will be the NFL waiver process. Pyburn can be claimed by another NFL team before he would be free to pursue a return to college.

If he clears waivers, LSU appears to be his likely destination.

Pyburn is among a group of athletes challenging NCAA eligibility rules after exhausting four seasons of competition. A Baton Rouge judge recently granted temporary relief that could allow Pyburn and other members of the group to play an additional college season.

The situation became more complicated when the SEC adopted its own rule preventing players who had signed professional contracts or joined professional teams from returning to play at conference schools.

That obstacle was temporarily removed Friday when District Court Judge William Jorden amended his temporary restraining order to include the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey, preventing the conference from enforcing the new restrictions against the affected players while the litigation continues.

Pyburn spent his first three college seasons at Florida before transferring to LSU for the 2025 season.

In his lone year with the Tigers, the 6-foot-4 edge rusher appeared in 12 games with 11 starts and recorded 52 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, eight quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.

He signed a three-year contract with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 NFL Draft and made a strong push for a roster spot throughout training camp and the preseason.

Now, assuming he clears waivers and the current court protections remain in place, Pyburn could have an opportunity to rejoin LSU just days before the Tigers open the Lane Kiffin era against Clemson on September 5 in Tiger Stadium.