It was going to be a trying season for a franchise that had reached the playoffs the previous four years, the last three as NFC South champions. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the transition in 2023 from legendary quarterback Tom Brady, to free-agent addition Baker Mayfield. The Bucs captured the division in 2022 with an 8-9 record, and were easily disposed of in the wild card playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys.
The following year, Todd Bowles’s club improved one win in his second season as head coach, and Tampa Bay won another division title with a 9-8 record. The club made easy work of the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, 32-9 in the first round. They gave the Detroit Lions quite the tussle in the Motor City, but came up short in the divisional playoffs, 31-23.
Now came the tricky part. What to do when it came to bringing back a slew of talented performers all slated to become free agents in 2024? The list included Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans, linebacker Lavonte David, and standout safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
Buccaneers have seen the Licht
Once again, unsung general manager Jason Licht got the job done. He managed to retain all four players, slapped the “franchise” tag on Winfield, and later inked him to a long-term deal. Talk about interesting? Pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett, a pivotal part of the defense that paved the way to a Super Bowl LV win over the Kansas City Chiefs, was a salary-cap casualty before free agency began. He inked a deal with the Miami Dolphins, opted for retirement, and is now back with the Bucs. Will he play a big role this postseason?
In 2024, Bowles’s team got off to a 4-2 start, dealt with a midseason four-game losing streak due in part to injuries to Evans and fellow wideout Chris Godwin (lost for the season), and was also swept by the rival Atlanta Falcons. Mayfield’s fiery leadership propelled the club to a 6-1 finish, resulting in a 10-7 mark and a fourth straight NFC South title.
The bottom line
All told, the Buccaneers are in the playoffs for a franchise-record fifth straight year. It’s the longest active streak in the NFC, and the third-longest in the league behind only the Chiefs (10) and Buffalo Bills (6). Licht has been the common denominator as the team’s current postseason stretch has been basically led by two different head coaches (Bruce Arians and Bowles) and two different starting quarterbacks (Brady and Mayfield).
Licht has more than done his share to keep this franchise afloat, and Bowles’s squad is playing its best football of the season entering this rematch with the Washington Commanders. Is there a deeper playoff run in the cards this time around, or do the Bucs stop here?