Was Will Gholston Tempted To Sign With The Lions?

Seeing defensive tackle Will Gholston in a Bucs uniform again isn’t a surprise. This will be his 12th year doing so.

What does come off as interesting is the timing in which he signed back with Tampa Bay.

Over the last three seasons Will Gholston has been signing one-year contracts with the Bucs. Last year, however, Gholston signed the day before training camp began in late July. That means he couldn’t be part of Tampa Bay’s offseason programs along with OTAs and mandatory mini-camp.

This year he got a head start signing with the Bucs in April right as the start of the offseason program.

It certainly gives Gholston a head start into the season, but why such a big difference this time around?

Will Gholston Is A “Buccaneer Man”

“Same as last year, wasn’t no set time with it,” Will Gholston said on the Pewter Report Podcast. “I figured I’d just sign. Get it going that way. My kids kept asking me what I’m doing.”

An easy going response was given, and who could blame him? Playing in Tampa has its advantages compared to other cities around the league, plus it’s been his home for over a decade.

We were curious, though, if Gholston had thought about going to another team in free agency. There would’ve been ties to playing for the up-and-coming Detroit Lions considering Will Gholston grew up in Detroit and played for Michigan State.

With the Lions making it to the NFC Championship Game last year after beating the Bucs and looking to be a Super Bowl contender again, it would make sense if he wanted to return to a familiar place if they asked him to go. That’s not really an idea Gholston had in mind. He enjoys being in Tampa and loves being a career Buccaneer.

“Consider? You always consider your options when you have options,” Will Gholston said. “But I don’t think I would want to play anywhere else. That’s the true answer. I’m definitely a Buccaneer man. Plus I think that’s way too close to home. Here, in Tampa, I still have a lot of privacy. I don’t think I would have the same privacy if I played in Detroit.”

Will Gholston Gets Another Year To Be A Mentor In The Locker Room

The Bucs aren’t far off from being a contender as well. It gives Will Gholston has another opportunity to be a mentor to the defensive linemen and other players around him. He’ll still be part of the Bucs’ defensive line rotation along with Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, Logan Hall and Greg Gaines, but his playing time was cut in half last year from 43% to 23%, so being a mentor is another way he provides value to Tampa Bay.

Bucs OLB Anthony Nelson and DT Will Gholston – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“The reason why I try to pay it forward is some guys I play with didn’t necessarily help me the same way, so I vowed to not be that type of vet,” Gholston said. “I want to be able to sharpen the man next to me as he sharpens me. Because if I can’t give you a 100% of myself on the field and compete with you and still give you 100% of who I truly am as a man, I don’t think that it like, I don’t I don’t think that’s a good quality. I want to be a good quality person.”

Gholston has always wanted to make sure he’s there for every Buccaneer. All NFL teams need those locker room “glue guys” and Tampa Bay has a great one with Will Gholston.

“At the end of the day, football doesn’t last forever,” Gholston said. “I know I’m going into year 12, which is rare, but football doesn’t last forever. But the personality and the legacy that you leave behind does. So like I say, my kindness or my willingness to be able to help somebody else may cause a domino effect.

“And I feel like that’s it’s not just me in the locker room at all. The culture we have now, the community that we have now – everybody here can we can hold each other accountable to a different type of level and standard without having to feel like, ‘Oh, man, this guy’s right.’ And we’re brothers at the end of the day, like the way you do your jobs makes me do my job better. That’s it. Actually, it’s no other. The way that you perform helps me perform better.”