After securing their second consecutive NFC South title with a 10-7 record, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers found their 2024 season cut short by the Washington Commanders in the first round of playoffs.
While the season showed promise, it didn’t quite match their previous year’s success.
Now, the franchise faces an intriguing situation, particularly at the punter position, where they’ve cycled through three different players since October and appear ready to welcome a fourth.
NFL reporter Aaron Wilson of KPRC has revealed that the Buccaneers have signed punter Jake Julien to a futures contract following a December workout.
“#Buccaneers signing strong-legged, All @CFL @GoElks punter Jake Julien to a reserve-future deal, worked him out in December, per a league source @KPRC2.” Wilson wrote.
#Buccaneers signing strong-legged, All @CFL @GoElks punter Jake Julien to a reserve-future deal, worked him out in December, per a league source @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 16, 2025
Julien comes with an impressive resume, most notably his stellar performance in the CFL with the Edmonton Elks over the past two seasons.
In 2024, he dominated the league with a remarkable 54.0 gross punting average, accumulating 5,773 yards across 107 punts.
The Ontario native, who played his college football at Eastern Michigan, was released by the Elks on Wednesday to pursue his NFL dreams.
The Buccaneers’ punting carousel began in September under head coach Todd Bowles.
Jake Camarda, their 2022 fourth-round pick, lost his starting role to practice squad player Trenton Gill, who held the position for two games.
Though Camarda briefly reclaimed his spot against New Orleans in October, he was eventually released in favor of Gill.
However, Gill’s performance left much to be desired, averaging just 38.7 net yards per punt over eight games.
As the Buccaneers look ahead to 2025, all eyes will be on Julien to see if he can bring stability to this crucial special teams position through offseason workouts and training camp.
NEXT: Chris Godwin Makes Big Personal Announcement
