Getty Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs.
For all intents and purpose, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a great offseason. They signed the right players — young and old — and spent big in the process. They had a great draft. They (mostly) avoided offseason drama.
For some reason, though, the Buccaneers have been mostly overlooked in the preseason hype news cycles that eat up the months before training camp starts.
Even oddsmakers in Las Vegas don’t think much of the three-time defending NFC South champions — Tampa Bay’s over/under win total for 2024 is at 7.5 wins.
None of it makes sense to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who has the Buccaneers ranked No. 9 in his NFL Power Rankings ahead of training camp.
Florio has the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at No. 1 followed by defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers at No. 2.
“For some reason, (the Buccaneers) still aren’t being taken seriously,” Florio wrote. “They should be.”
Tampa Bay went 9-8 in 2023 and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round before losing to the Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round.
The three other teams from the NFC South in Florio’s PFT rankings were the No. 19 Atlanta Falcons, No. 24 New Orleans Saints and No. 32 Carolina Panthers.
Three Massive Contracts Defined Offseason for Bucs
Three massive contracts were the headline stories of the offseason for the Buccaneers.
The first deal went to veteran wide receiver Mike Evans with a 2-year, $52 million contract after Evans set the NFL record with his 10th consecutive season of at least 1,000 receiving yards in 2023.
Next, the Buccaneers took care of quarterback Baker Mayfield with a 3-year, $100 million contract after he played on a 1-year, $4 million contract in 2023. Mayfield had a career year in his first season with Tampa Bay with 4,044 passing yards and 28 touchdowns and making his first Pro Bowl.
Finally, Tampa Bay made history when they made NFL All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. the highest-paid safety in the NFL with a 4-year, $84.1 million contract extension. Veteran linebacker Lavonte David, 34 years old, was also kept in the fold with a 1-year, $8.5 million contract.
The biggest deal might still be yet to come — two-time NFL All-Pro offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs is only 25 years old and his next contract could make him the highest paid player at his position in NFL history.
How Rookie Class Will Impact Season for Bucs
If you want to understand how strong a rookie class is, look at depth charts headed into minicamp. And the Buccaneers drafted quality depth in 2024.
Out of the Buccaneers’ seven picks in the 2024 NFL draft, six are listed on the two-deep led by first-round pick Graham Barton starting at center. Two of the picks, third-round wide receiver Jalen McMillan and fourth-round running back Bucky Irving, will provide desperately needed depth at those positions and both should return punts and kicks.
On defense, edge rusher and second-round pick Chris Braswell along with third-round pick Tykee Smith are both listed as backups but should have big roles. Braswell could have the biggest opportunity to make an impact right away — none of the Buccaneers returning edge rusher veterans played more than half the snaps in 2023 as the team finished 22nd in the NFL in pass rush win rate.