There’s a long list of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers who probably deserve to be in the Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium — whether any of them make it there in 2024 is still anyone’s guess.
Buccaneers’ co-owner Joel Glazer wouldn’t commit to whether or not a player might make it in this year when speaking with reporters at the NFL annual league meetings on March 26 in Orlando, Florida.
“Every year (the Ring of Honor) is looked at and we had a string of a lot of years in a row where we had somebody,” Glazer said. “So it’ll be year to year making those decisions and this year will be no different than any other … it will be looked at.”
The Buccaneers haven’t inducted a player into the Ring of Honor since Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Ronde Barber was inducted in 2019.
Since then, the Buccaneers have inducted two coaches — former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and former head coach Bruce Arians. In 2021, the franchise inducted its two Super Bowl-winning teams from 2002 and 2020.
Could GOAT Quarterback Tom Brady Be Next?
Following Glazer’s comments, Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times speculated on the former players most deserving of a spot in the Ring of Honor and put former quarterback Tom Brady at the top of his list.
Brady only played for the Buccaneers for two seasons but led them to a Super Bowl win in Feb. 2021, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
“We’re saying it — enshrine the GOAT now, before anyone else,” Knight wrote. “Never mind that Brady will be remembered as a Patriot by posterity (and rightfully so); the guy set a cultural template in Tampa Bay that fostered a winning approach and world title, while giving global attention to a previously foundering franchise.
“Less than 11 months after signing with the Bucs (in March 2020), Brady was hoisting a Lombardi Trophy inside Raymond James Stadium. His Ring of Honor induction should be done with equal dispatch.”
Others on Knight’s listed included former running back James Wilder, the franchise’s leading rusher, former defensive end Simeon Rice, former defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and longtime Bucs radio play-by-play man Gene Deckerhoff.
Buccaneers Can Put People in Ring of Honor … And Take Them Out
The Buccaneers can remove people from the Ring of Honor just as easily as they put them in.
Former head coach Jon Gruden led Tampa Bay to its first Super Bowl title in 2002 and was inducted into the Ring of Honor in 2017. He was taken out four years later in 2021 after e-mails sent by Gruden containing racist, homophobic and misogynistic language led to his resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Buccaneers announced they were removing Gruden just one day after he resigned.
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have advocated for purposeful change in the areas of race relations, gender equality, diversity and inclusion for many years,” the team statement read. “While we acknowledge Jon Gruden’s contributions on the field, his actions go against our core values as an organization. Therefore, he will no longer continue to be a member of the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.”
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Buccaneers Owner Non-Committal on Adding to Ring of Honor in 2024