Buccaneers legend explains untold story of Super Bowl highlight

According to Suh, the sack that dropped Mahomes in the biggest game of the year came from a stunt he created on the spot with a rookie teammate. With the Chiefs threatening, Suh leaned on his veteran instincts and told the rookie exactly what was about to happen.

"I told him that we're going to switch positions... we're going to run a special stunt and we're going to meet at the quarterback, and it all came to fruition," Suh said during the interview.

That kind of decision doesn’t happen unless a player has earned serious respect. By the time he arrived in Tampa Bay, Suh had already carved out a long career in Detroit and Miami and established himself as one of the league’s most feared defensive linemen. The Buccaneers trusted him enough to give him the freedom to freelance in key moments. This is something Suh admitted was a perk of being a “true vet.”

"I got to be able to kind of make my own rules as a true vet and as long as I made plays, I didn't get in trouble," he explained with a grin.

Lessons From Washburn and a Super Bowl Legacy

Suh didn’t just come up with this approach on his own. He credited his former coach Jim Washburn with teaching him to see the game differently, to look for opportunities beyond the standard assignments. That creativity stayed with him throughout his career and helped create one of the most memorable defensive plays of the Buccaneers’ championship run.

When Adams asked if the sack was truly improvised, Suh didn’t hesitate. "Oh yeah. We definitely freelance."

For Tampa Bay, the play was more than just one takedown of Mahomes. It was proof that experience, trust, and a little bit of boldness can swing momentum on the biggest stage. For Suh, it’s another chapter in a career defined by dominance and a Super Bowl ring he’ll always be remembered for in Tampa Bay.