This Was Never Going To Be A Super Bowl Season For The Buccaneers And Here’s Why

Before I start, let me just say that the Buccaneers recent success has spoiled many of us and I get that. In fact, it’s actually a good thing. After winning a Super Bowl 4 years ago our expectations are set high and they SHOULD be. When you have two Lombardi trophy’s and your Head Coach addresses the team and says that the goal is the Super Bowl we applaud that.

However, if a truth serum was administered to Todd Bowles and Jason Licht, I’m pretty sure they would say that 2025 was when this team was “really” going for another title.

Most of the money spent in the office season was to bring back/extend their own FAs. That did wonders to stay the course but did it really IMPROVE the roster?  We all knew that this team lacked an outside pass rusher to compliment the inside pressure created by Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey.

No FAs were brought in to help with pass rush. No LBs were brought in to compete with K.J. Britt. It was status quo there. When your best free agent signing is Randy Gregory you’ve got issues with depth. The Bucs were able to sign some mid level FAs but that really didn’t move them closer to  the elite teams in the league.

Very few teams win a Super Bowl when they have to rely on rookies and 2nd year players  to play such crucial roles on the team. Young players struggle and that’s to be expected. They are gaining valuable experience  and that will pay off in 2025 and beyond.

Nobody knows where Injuries will happen or when, but one thing you CAN count on is that they WILL happen. Even when fully healthy, this teams had holes on defense (see pass rush and LBs), 3rd WR and TE.  Cade Otton has made huge strides but is there another TE option after him?  They had to rely on young players or cheap FAs to supply depth and that’s not a recipe for winning a Super Bowl.

When the Buccaneers were close, really close, to a title, they used smart FA signings and even trades to bring in veteran players. Can anyone really look at the Bucs defense and say that it resembles the 2020 team? MAYBE four players would start on that team? Great teams also have good depth pieces to do their best to offset potential Injuries.

While many fans were screaming at Licht to trade for a WR, Pass rusher or even a LB, I’m glad that no trade was made. If your goal “really” is to win the Super Bowl then you have to look at your roster and realize you’re not one or even two players away from the title.

This may seem like I’m throwing in the towel on 2024 but that isn’t the case. I’m just realistic about where we need to go to get to another title. It’s the Buccaneers fault for making me feel that way, and for that I’m thankful.  The young players are gaining great experience and 2025 is setting itself up for a serious run.

I’ll be shocked and very disappointed if the Bucs don’t bring in at least 4 good FAs and maybe even a trade on Defense. They will have more cap room to bring in competition that they were unable to do this year.

Trust that Licht knows what a Super Bowl roster looks like and then watch him work his magic. I know I will.