The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a great free agency thus far in re-signing key players, and as far as performance in 2023 goes, kicker Chase McLaughlin is near the top of that list.
McLaughlin put together the best kicking season in Bucs history, hitting 29 of his 31 kicks. The two misses he had were both blocks, and he continued his run in the playoffs, hitting four of his five kicks and scoring 17 points total across Tampa Bay's two games.
In a way, McLaughlin's arc is similar to Baker Mayfield's with their 2023 campaigns. Like Mayfield, McLaughlin bounced around numerous teams, his extension in Tampa Bay the first time he'll have stayed with a squad for two years in a row. He also had a great season with the Buccaneers on a prove-it deal, and like Mayfield as well, he knew he wanted to be in Tampa Bay.
Here's what McLaughlin said about wanting to come back to the Bucs in his virtual press conference on Thursday, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times:
"Honestly, that was our agent’s plan from the start, was just to stay in Tampa. As everyone knows, we’ve been with a few teams in our career, so when you come to one that’s run the right way from top to bottom, it’s an organization we want to stay a part of. It was really a no-brainer when we started our negotiation talk that we wanted to stay in Tampa because it’s just a great place to live, great fans and, like I said, great people from the whole organization.''
McLaughlin is one of a number of free agents the Bucs have retained so far, with Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans, running back Chase Edmonds, linebacker Lavonte David and defensive lineman Greg Gaines all returning to Tampa Bay as well.
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