It's been a rough go if you're someone who follows the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the past five months or so. You've witnessed one of the best starts to a regular season, but that was quickly followed up with perhaps the worst collapse in franchise history that led to no postseason berth for the first time in over five years.
And just like that, the Bucs’ two longest-tenured players are gone. Only a couple of weeks apart. In one offseason. First, it was 2014 first-round pick Mike Evans leaving to sign with the 49ers ahead of his 13th NFL season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren't able to do much in free agency. Despite not having a ton of wealth on the open market, the Bucs were able to do a solid
Most of the NFL mock drafts focus on the early rounds, but there are still many prominent college players who will hear their names called later. These are just some of the big names that could hear their names in the later rounds.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are caught between honoring what once worked and confronting what no longer does. For years, this has been a team built on toughness, defensive identity, and timely offense.
Last week the Tampa Bay Buccaneers said a fond farewell to a franchise legend. Linebacker Lavonte David decided to retire after a brilliant 14 year career.
The Buccaneers restructured the contracts of right tackle Luke Goedeke and cornerback Zyon McCollum to clear up cap space for their new free agent signings.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers certainly need to address the inside linebacker position after franchise legend Lavonte David called it quits this week. David capped off an incredible 13-year career that saw him earn a First Team All-Pro, a Super Bowl ring and a share of the franchise's tackle record with Derrick Brooks.
NFL prospects from major programs get most of the attention, but there are numerous examples of players drafted from small schools who have become difference-makers.
The press conference podium sat waiting in Tampa Bay. Fourteen seasons of bruised ribs, film study, and Sunday warfare came down to a man in a suit trying to hold himself together.
On March 24, 2026, Lavonte David stood before cameras in Tampa and said something that stopped the room: “I never dreamed of playing 14 years in the NFL.
On the surface, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a challenging offseason. Losing franchise stalwarts Mike Evans and Lavonte David is certainly part of it, but the fact that the team didn't make a significant investment in any bigger-name free agents to address their defensive woes also raised some eyebrows.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a few smaller moves around the edges in NFL free agency, but to get significantly better, they will have to improve through the 2026 NFL Draft.
With the Buccaneers two oldest players leaving this month, It may be time to think about how this team may change moving forward. Jason Licit and Todd Bowels contracts are up after the 2028 season.
One of the more noteworthy events of the opening few weeks of the new NFL year involved wide receiver Mike Evans leaving a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that had been his only football home since the 2014 NFL Draft to sign a three-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
Baker Mayfield, the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is entering the final year of a contract the market has essentially lapped.
Lavonte David spent 14 years in the NFL – all with the Buccaneers. Upon announcing his retirement on Tuesday, it cemented that his entire career would be with one team here in Tampa Bay.
Mayfield and the Buccaneers agreed to a three-year contract back in March 2024, and some have pointed out that Tampa Bay could save some money by signing Mayfield to an extension this spring.
According to the Athletic’s Jeff Howe, the Buccaneers are expected to open extension talks with QB Baker Mayfield this offseason. The former No. 1 pick is entering the final year of his contract in 2026 and is scheduled to make $28 million.