Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign LB Yasir Holmes

The Buccaneers' signing of Yasir Holmes on a three-year deal worth $3.1M total ($1.03M AAV) earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI), reflecting a depth move that's defensible but hardly impactful for a roster clawing back toward postseason relevance after an 8-9 season. At this price point, the CVI grade acknowledges that Holmes occupies a realistic mid-tier contributor tier — a solid backup linebacker capable of eating snaps and providing positional depth without commanding premium money. The $1.03M AAV is well below market for even a middling starter, which keeps the deal from being a drain; the three-year structure frontloads minimal risk and allows Tampa Bay to cut ties without significant dead-cap consequence if production doesn't materialize. However, the modest total ($3.1M) and low annual commitment signal that this is organizational housekeeping rather than a transformative chess move, the kind of transaction that fills holes but doesn't elevate a team treading water at 8-9. For a club sitting just outside the playoff picture in the NFC South, acquiring depth at linebacker on this budget is prudent roster construction, but it's not a statement of ambition — it's an acknowledgment that marginal upgrades are the current operating mode.