Quick—be honest. Do you see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a serious Super Bowl contender this season?
Didn’t think so.
No, Tom Brady isn’t walking through that door again. If Tampa Bay is going to make another deep playoff run, it will be on the shoulders of Baker Mayfield delivering another standout year. He’ll have key support from Mike Evans, Lavonte David, Vita Vea, Tristin Wirfs, rookie running back Bucky Irving, and steady head coach Todd Bowles, who continues to be paired .
Still not buying it?
Fair enough. Much of the NFC conversation centers around whether the Philadelphia Eagles can repeat as champions, if the Detroit Lions are ready to finally break through after back-to-back postseason collapses, or whether Micah Parsons can elevate the Dallas Cowboys into true title contention.
There’s also plenty of buzz around the San Francisco 49ers and even the Washington Commanders.
But what about the Buccaneers?
Oddsmakers currently give Tampa Bay 30-to-1 Super Bowl 60 odds.
Here’s the thing: the Bucs have quietly put together an impressive résumé. They’ve won four straight NFC South titles, are in the midst of the best five-year run in franchise history, and stand as the only NFC team to make the playoffs in each of the past five seasons. Normally, that’s the kind of consistency that signals a team ready for the next step.
Yet, respect seems to be in short .supply.
“We’re in witness protection,” GM Jason Licht told USA TODAY Sports at training camp. “Nobody cares. We’re down here in Tampa. Nobody realizes that we’ve quietly built—Todd, myself, our staffs—a really good team.”
Star wideout Mike Evans, drafted by Licht back in 2014 and already carrying Hall of Fame credentials, echoed the sentiment:
“It’s the market. But it don’t matter.”
That underdog mentality might actually fuel Tampa Bay in 2025.
“I hope so,” Licht admitted. Our GM likes a chip on his shoulder. We all do. But it seems like everybody’s already picking the Falcons and the Panthers…”
The NFC South race should indeed be heated. The Carolina Panthers (5-12 in 2024) are banking on young QB Bryce Young taking a big step forward.
The Atlanta Falcons have built around rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., adding offensive playmakers while also using two first-round draft picks to strengthen their struggling pass rush.
Of course, hype around Atlanta isn’t new.
Last season, the Falcons (8-9) were tipped as the division favorite behind Kirk Cousins. Instead, the Buccaneers finished 10-7, clinched the division by two games, and made the postseason yet again.
The only downside? They were swept by Atlanta, with Cousins throwing 8 touchdowns across two matchups—including a career-best 509 passing yards in Week 5.
That history sets the stage for an electric 2025 season opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Cousins—now battling to keep his starting job after a late-season benching—will face the very team he lit up last year.
As Falcons owner Arthur Blank joked during the NFL owners’ meetings:
If the Falcons had faced the Buccaneers every week last season, he would already have a Hall of Fame résumé.
Ouch. As if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need any more bulletin-board material heading into the 2025 NFL season.
Head coach Todd Bowles, who took over in 2022 after Bruce Arians retired, isn’t the type to fire off bold headlines about disrespect. He’s not Jimmy Johnson, not Denny Green, and definitely not “The Tuna.” Instead, Bowles keeps it simple.
“We feel like we should win every ballgame and we don’t really care who we play,” Bowles told USA TODAY Sports during training camp.
That confidence isn’t empty talk. It’s backed by results.
In 2024, the Buccaneers offense was the only unit in the NFL to rank top-five in both rushing (4th) and passing (3rd). They even made history as the first NFL team ever to complete 70% of passes while averaging 5 yards per carry.
Nearly every key piece of that production is back in 2025—Mike Evans (tied with Jerry Rice for 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons) and Baker Mayfield, who set career highs with Last season, he threw for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and set a new Buccaneers record with a 106.8 passer rating.
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On defense, Bowles has difference-makers at every level:
Vita Vea anchoring the line, Lavonte David still leading at linebacker in his 14th season, and Antoine Winfield Jr. patrolling the secondary. Add in the arrival of Haason Reddick, who racked up 50.5 sacks between 2020–2023, and Tampa Bay’s defense looks just as dangerous.
Life After Tom Brady
When Tom Brady retired in 2023, expectations for Tampa Bay cratered. His final year saw the Bucs limp to an 8-9 record, winning the division but getting blown out at home in the playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys—Brady’s last game. The roster was strapped for cap space, and there was no succession plan at quarterback.
Enter Baker Mayfield. Thanks to smart cap maneuvering by executive Jackie Davidson and consistent draft success from Jason Licht’s front office, Tampa Bay rebounded faster than anyone expected.
I always believed we would remain a competitive team,”
Evans said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. “Obviously, we needed to figure out the quarterback situation. Luckily, Baker was available. I knew if I played with him, we’d get the respect he deserves. Because quarterbacks need good skill players and a strong O-line.”
The Culture Shift
Evans says the difference goes beyond stats. It’s about culture.
“I think it’s everything,” Evans explained. “The front office, the coaching staff, the veteran leadership—it’s way better than earlier in my career. Not to knock my guys back then, but now it’s all about playing for each other.”
Mayfield agrees, crediting Evans and David:
“It starts with those two franchise guys. They’ve been underrated for so long. They put in relentless effort and set the standard for everyone else to follow.
The Outside Noise
Despite their success, national projections remain lukewarm. According to USA TODAY Sports analyst Nate Davis, the Bucs’ ceiling is a 9-8 finish, just enough to win the NFC South again and sneak in as the No. 4 seed.Tampa
Bowles isn’t fazed.
“We make our own projections and predictions,” he said. “Our projection is to win the division and win the Super Bowl. If we listened to everybody else, we’d be in last place every year. Instead, we’ve been in first every year.”Tampa
For Bowles, it’s business as usual:
“At this point, it’s kind of a running joke, so we don’t care.Tampa
