Bucs Announce Team Captains For 2026 Season

Two Multi-Year Captains, 10th-Year Veteran Will Lead Bucs Offense

Given what he means not just to the Bucs offense but to the team as a whole both in terms of leadership and juice, Baker Mayfield was always going to be an obvious pick to remain a captain. He has now been named a team captain all four years he’s spent with Tampa Bay, and this makes him a six-time captain in his career when you add his one season as a captain in Cleveland and another as a captain in Carolina.

As much fire as Mayfield plays with, the Bucs know they can’t only rely on No. 6 to bring it each and every week. That’s something five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs spoke about after one of the team’s joint practices with the Jaguars at the end of August.

“We got to help him out a little bit. We got to bring the juice, we got to bring the fire,” Wirfs said. “He does it day in and day out, week in, week out. We got to help him out a little bit. I think he’s going to play with his hair on fire like he always does. I think he’s going to show a lot of people what’s up and it’s going to be pretty cool to watch.”

Speaking of Wirfs, he’s a captain once again, making it four years in a row. The 2020 first-round pick was an instant-impact type of guy from the jump when he helped lead the Bucs to Super Bowl LV in his rookie season. After a couple more years of finding his voice as a leader in the locker room, he’s become a staple of the team’s leadership group.

As for the third captain for the Bucs offense in 2026, it should come as no surprise that it’ll be 10th-year receiver Chris Godwin Jr. taking the torch from Mike Evans. Godwin is no stranger to being a leader within the receiver room and even the locker room. It’s just that he’ll now have a “C” on his jersey and an official title to go with his leadership. Believe it or not, this is only Godwin’s second time serving as a team captain in his decade with the organization.

“As far as my leadership on this team, it doesn’t change at all, as far as I’m concerned,” Godwin said during training camp. “What I did and what I brought to the team was completely different from what Mike brought to the team, right? It’s not like he’s gone and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to step up and be somebody else or somebody that I’m not.’ I just continue to be me and to me, that’s going to be good as I continue to encourage other guys, continue to try and elevate my game. If I can bring the best version of myself, that’s the best thing I can do for them.”

Even beyond Mayfield, Wirfs and Godwin, the Buccaneer offense has plenty of others capable of leading. Earlier this offseason, general manager Jason Licht mentioned Bucky Irving as someone who has begun to emerge as a leader. Kenny Gainwell is right there along with him, as are the likes of Cade Otton and Luke Goedeke. There should be no shortage of leadership on that side of the ball for Tampa Bay, and the same can be said of the defense.

Bucs Defense Is Full Of Leaders – With One Newcomer Named Captain

On the defense, two longtime captains retained their positions for the 2026 season. If anyone thought the contract fuss, the trade request and the subsequent hold-in would have any impact on Vita Vea’s candidacy for captainship, think again. His teammates were always going to have his back, and that showed as the big man – entering his ninth season with Tampa Bay – is now a five-time captain.

The fact that Vea was a hold-in rather than a hold-out surely didn’t hurt. He was still in the building and in meetings with his teammates, and he was still out on the practice fields looking on during camp. It’s not as if he was a complete no-show. Plus, business is business, and Vea’s Bucs teammates weren’t going to let business matters outweigh the leadership and veteran presence Vea has brought to the team year in and year out.

With Lavonte David’s retirement, Vea is now the longest-tenured Bucs captain on the defensive side of the ball with five straight years with a “C” on his chest. Right behind him, though, is safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who this year was voted a captain for the fourth year in a row.

Winfield, like fellow 2020 draftee Tristan Wirfs, made an immediate impact as a rookie in the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV season. He began to show some leadership qualities throughout his early years with Tampa Bay, too, and then became a captain soon after. He’s the top dog of the secondary when it comes to tenure, accolades and status, yet he approaches every practice and every game with the same enthusiasm and workman-like attitude that has rounded him into such a highly respected safety throughout the league.

The third and final captainship role on the defense seemed to have some more options in play, and that speaks to the level of leadership and character within the whole unit, too. When David retired, he mentioned Yaya Diaby, Calijah Kancey and especially Tykee Smith as potential leaders who would step up in his absence. Throw in A’Shawn Robinson, who has been a game-changer for the mentality of this defense throughout the offseason, and you have a quartet of choices. And that’s before you even get to the man who was ultimately voted into that third captainship role – Alex Anzalone.

The addition of Anzalone this offseason was about both the level of play he could provide in the middle of the Bucs defense as well as the type of veteran leadership he could bring to the defense and the locker room as a whole. Of course, it’s that first part that has to be the most exciting given the struggles Tampa Bay has had over the middle of the field in recent years as David’s age began to show and the team failed to find a suitable running mate for him. But the leadership aspect of Anzalone’s profile is big, too.

The former Florida Gator is obviously a first-time Bucs captain in 2026, but this is his sixth time serving as a team captain in his career. He brought a high level of leadership to the Lions defense during his time in Detroit, and now he’ll look to do the same in Tampa Bay. Not to mention, the selection of Anzalone over, say, Smith or Diaby gives the Buccaneer defense a captain at every level: Vea up front, Anzalone at the second level and Winfield on the back end.

Keeping with the usual trend during Todd Bowles’ time as head coach, the Bucs once again didn’t name any special teams captains. Tampa Bay hasn’t done so since 2021, Bruce Arians’ final year as head coach. So, heading into 2026, it’ll be six captains – Baker Mayfield, Tristan Wirfs, Chris Godwin Jr., Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Alex Anzalone – leading the way for Bowles’ squad.