2026 Fantasy Football Breaking News: Kenneth Gainwell Signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Welcome to our coverage at Fantasy In Frames regarding recent 2026 Fantasy Football Breaking News: Kenneth Gainwell Signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers!
Much to my surprise, RB Kenneth Gainwell has decided to switch teams, signing a two-year, $14 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I’m sorry, but I just do not get this one at all, really, for both Gainwell and the Buccaneers.
Green Bay should move on from Josh Jacobs and sign a cheaper more versatile back in Kenneth Gainwell? RB who’s an elite pass receiver to pair with Emmanuel Wilson! He’s a perfect fit for the GB offense! His salary proj is 3mil AAV vs Jacobs 12.5 mil AAV. pic.twitter.com/kXBpR1fh9F
— Angry Mike! 🧀 ⚾ 💙 (@Angrymike23) February 5, 2026
For Tampa Bay, if you wanted a dynamic pass-catching RB…why not just bring back Rachaad White for around the same price point you just gave Kenneth Gainwell? Although you already have a bellcow archetype back in Bucky Irving, so why do you even need to make a meaningful investment into a second RB like this anyway? Plus, you have a ton of great passing game weapons, so it’s not like you’re going to be checking the ball down to Gainwell all the time. I don’t know…this move is super weird for the Buccaneers, in my eyes at least.
Kenneth Gainwell just came off the best season of his career by far with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so why leave a great situation that you found tons of success in? Gainwell saw a whopping 82 targets in 2025 in Pittsburgh, which led to a 14.9% target share (which is high for a running back), and with Aaron Rodgers likely returning to the Steelers for one final season, those absurd target opportunities and checkdown opportunities would have been there in 2026 once again.
Sure, Kenneth Gainwell was a very fun waiver-wire pickup and eventually a league winner for many people in 2025, but I’m sorry to say it…I am going to be totally out on the player in 2026. People can draft Gainwell late next year if they want, but I’m not even doing that, no matter how late it is by then. There is no scenario in the world where he repeats his insane volume from last year, and the fit between Kenneth Gainwell and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is just very strange.
That’s it for my coverage of 2026 Fantasy Football Breaking News: Tyler Allgeier signed by the Arizona Cardinals!
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