Who knew that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would make loud noises in just the first year of the post-Tom Brady Era? With Baker Mayfield putting together a surprisingly good performance as the Bucs starting quarterback, Tampa Bay was able to defend their NFC South crown and make the playoffs for the fourth season in a row, as they went 9-8. It was not a staggeringly fantastic record, but the Buccaneers did their job in the regular season and played beyond the wild-card round, which was more than what most people thought they would after Brady’s departure.
Bruce Arians Show Optimism For The Tampa Bay Buccaneers In 2024
Enter former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, who believes that even better things are coming for the Bucs in 2024, and that’s despite the looming free agencies of some of the franchise’s most dependable players in 2023.
Via Matt Matera of Pewter Report:
“I think it’s outstanding,” Arians said. “If we get those guys back – and hopefully we can – I think most of them will want to be back. Continuity… Again, new offense, but there’s going to be a lot of continuity in it. So I don’t think we’re starting from scratch again. The guys all know each other, they know the quarterback now, they know how to feed off each other. So I think the expectations should be high.”
There is a sense of confidence in the tone of Arians that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be able to secure the likes of Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans, who are both about to hit the free-agent market. The Buccaneers will also be working under a new offensive coordinator, with Dave Canales going to the Carolina Panthers.
The re-emergence of Mayfield within the Bucs’ offense in 2023 surely played a big part in Canales getting a head-coaching job in Carolina. In 2023, Mayfield passed for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns with 10 interceptions on a 64.3 percent completion rate.
For Arians, it seems that he expects Mayfield and Evans to return and pick up where they left off in 2023 and have more success on that end of the field in 2024.
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