2024 season: 10-7, first in NFC South, lost in wild-card round to Commanders
Overview: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have proven to be the class of the NFC South.
Baker Mayfield’s career renaissance was not a one-year fluke, as he improved upon his 2023 season in 2024. The Bucs won the NFC South title again and while they lost on a field goal to Washington as time expired in a playoff game, last season established that the Buccaneers are the best team in the division until further notice.
Success has a price, and for the second straight season the Bucs lost their offensive coordinator to a head coaching job. Last year it was Dave Canales to the Carolina Panthers, and this year it was Liam Coen to the Jacksonville Jaguars. At least Mayfield is used to change after having plenty of offensive coordinators in his NFL career.
The Buccaneers had a good 2024 draft, already had a strong foundation and have to be happy to have resurrected Mayfield’s career. Tampa Bay is in a good place as the offseason starts.
The Bucs’ grade was hurt by a lackluster locker room, which players complain suffers from consistent plumbing issues and bad smells. The team was also docked for poor food quality and lack of variety. Players did praise most of the staff, including head coach Todd Bowles.
Key free agents
WR Chris Godwin
LB Lavonte David
OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
G Ben Bredeson
Who’s in/out: The decisions on Godwin and David will be interesting. They’re franchise legends, but David is 35 years old and Godwin is coming off a major leg injury. Tryon-Shoyinka and Bredeson are starters, and it will be interesting to see how the Buccaneers prioritize them.
Key free-agent needs
Linebacker
Cornerback
Edge rusher
Why the holes? If David isn’t back, Tampa would be fairly thin at the off-the-ball linebacker spot. The Bucs are still working on cornerback, and their defense could use another edge rusher.
Do they have the money?
The Buccaneers are in a tight spot with about $5 million in projected cap room, according to Spotrac. A few key restructures, like Baker Mayfield, will open up a good amount of money. The Bucs should have a decent amount of flexibility depending on those restructures.
Notable potential cuts
S Jordan Whitehead
CB Jamel Dean
Why they’re gone: The Buccaneers don’t have many high-profile cut candidates; their cap moves will presumably come from restructuring current deals. Dean has a cap hit of nearly $15.3 million and Whitehead could be a cut candidate too, but the Buccaneers would open up a hole in the secondary by cutting either of them.
Draft picks
1st round: No. 19
2nd round: No. 53
3rd round: No. 84
4th round
5th round
7th round
Good draft fit
Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
Why him? It’s hard to go wrong drafting talented players from Alabama, and Campbell would be a good fit for the defense. That’s especially true if Lavonte David isn’t back. Cornerback is also a strong option here.
Bring back Chris Godwin
The Buccaneers have a big task in replacing Liam Coen as the offensive coordinator, marking the third time in as many years they have a new play-caller. From a personnel standpoint, they are relatively set in the backfield, offensive line and quarterback. The only outstanding question is whether Godwin returns. The offense got on fine without him but he’s a chain-moving specialist who worked well underneath with Mayfield. New OC Josh Grizzard, who was promoted from within, should want to run back as much of Coen’s system as possible. Bringing back Godwin would be a huge win, but he should be coveted on the open market, even with an open injury question. —Matt Harmon
