The Buccaneers’ offseason was dominated by two things: departures and disgruntled players.
Mike Evans took his talents to San Francisco, while Lavonte David retired. For most of the first month of the offseason, Bucs fans had to get used to the idea of not seeing numbers 13 and 54 on the field.
Then, just before the start of training camp, two more storylines emerged. Vita Vea held out and eventually demanded a trade, while Baker Mayfield went scorched earth on the Bucs after feeling disrespected by the team’s attempts to extend him beyond the 2026 season.
Well, both players eventually got what they wanted—and got paid very well.
But watching Sunday’s game, it would be difficult to argue that either played like players deserving of a pay increase.
For better or worse, the highest-paid players need to be the stars of the team. That’s where a significant portion of the salary cap is being spent, and with those big contracts comes big expectations.
Baker Mayfield, Tristan Wirfs, Vita Vea, Luke Goedeke and Antoine Winfield Jr. are all among the highest-paid players at their respective positions. As a result, they will be under the microscope all season—and they should be.
When they review Sunday’s game, they won’t be happy with what they see.
No, one game doesn’t mean all is lost. There are 16 games remaining, and plenty of time for this team to turn things around.
But the stars need to start playing like stars.
Otherwise, management may start experiencing something every team fears after handing out big contracts:
Buyer’s remorse.
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