Is The Super Bowl Window Still Open?
June 27th, 2024
The future is now.
The way Joe looks at it, the end is nearing.
One reason Joe was so bonkers about the Bucs obtaining Haason Reddick in free agency was the Bucs needed an immediate edge rusher if they wanted to seriously contend for a Super Bowl. This Joe firmly believes the Bucs have entered a two-year window.
Banking on a rookie edge rusher is a massive stretch.
The Bucs have several good players closer to the end of their careers than the beginning. Who knows if Lavonte David returns in 2025 or beyond? He’s 34.
Mike Evans will be 31 this summer. Will Father Time tap on his shoulder this year or wait a few more months?
Chris Godwin is 28 and in the final year of his contract. The way the Bucs have drafted the past two years, it seems the team is setting itself up to wave goodbye to Godwin. Or at least cover itself if Godwin doesn’t have a good season.
Vita Vea, believe it or not, is 29. How many more good years does he have? It’s not like he plays a soft position.
And, of course, what about Baker Mayfield? Yeah, he signed a three-year deal but he’s basically locked in for just two years. The Bucs could easily walk away after the 2025 season.
So time is of the essence.
Well, sometimes-humorist Adam Rank of NFL.com also hears the clock ticking on the Bucs. In fact, he believes this year is a pivotal season for the franchise. If two or three of the veterans Joe cited show signs of age and the team suffers as a result, Rank can see a roster makeover in 2025.
Again, I know they have made the playoffs in four straight seasons. Yes, they’ve won the NFC South in each of the past three years. Fortune seemed to be in their favor in 2023. I mean, they were 4-7 before they won five of six games to close out the season and take the division title. To me, the Bucs need to make a serious run in 2024. They have some older players in guys like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on offense. It feels like they are coming to a point where they will have to decide on the direction of this franchise. Are they in a Super Bowl window? Or are they one of those teams that’s solid but not spectacular? If Baker truly is coming into his own, Tampa Bay could have a great year.
As Joe has written and mentioned in the world famous “Ira Kaufman Podcast,” Joe really sees a path on the 2024 schedule for 10 wins. It’s doable.
Evans, David and Godwin won’t be here forever. Hell, they may not be on the roster next season. For the Bucs, as Hall of Fame coach George Allen famously once said, “The future is now.”
June 27th, 2024 at 12:06 am
All facts.
Some great players are racing Father Time, who is undefeated.
Enjoy them now because no one can tell the future.
One play, one series, one quarter, one game…and one season at a time…
June 27th, 2024 at 12:24 am
If the front office doesn’t think Gregory will be a detriment to the locker room and that the risk/reward is tolerable, then put his behind on the field and tell him to get 4-5 sacks. I think “this Joe” is right about the 2 year window for NFC Champs. I think the foundation for a minimum 8-9 or 9-8 is laid for the next 4 years.
My gut tells me this Gregory signing will backfire. I don’t think his “veteran presence” adds anything.
June 27th, 2024 at 12:26 am
No. Just reaching prime. They will replace the vets. Strengthen weak areas. Team will continue to be competitive as long as Blank is in Atlanta and drink thrower is in Carolina.
June 27th, 2024 at 1:06 am
Wow…how delusional can you be, it’s this kind of thinking that is the problem. No, it ended when Brady left, a smart team would have entered a rebuild, a dumb team fights to win the worst division in football when they have zero chance of beating the top 4 teams. Typical clown take
June 27th, 2024 at 1:59 am
The “Super Bowl Window” is basically a myth. As long as you make the playoffs, your window is open. Good franchises anticipate stars aging and plan accordingly. Even if some/all of those guys move on or retire, it’s not like Licht won’t try to replace them. And it’s not like he’s going to field an uncompetitive roster.
June 27th, 2024 at 2:13 am
No offense… but ridiculous. No one knows if Jalen Macmillan is going to be the next Puka Nakua. Kancey? YaYa? Jason Licht keeps on drafting talent on the o-line. Winfield is one of the best safeties I have ever seen.
Granted some amazing players are going to age out of the game but if we keep drafting…
June 27th, 2024 at 4:50 am
Adam Rank … ‘Are they in a Super Bowl window? Or are they one of those teams that’s solid but not spectacular?’
At this point, I’d vote for Option #2. Bucs will be solid this season IMO, but not spectacular. I agree with you Joe that this team SHOULD get 10 wins, 11 if we’re lucky. Could be as few as about 8 wins though if we’re unlucky. That’s not spectacular, but for a team in the 2nd year of a rebuild, it is very ‘solid’.
Westernbuc nailed it with ‘As long as you make the playoffs, your window is open.’ Anything can happen once you get invited to the Big Dance. Bucs made the playoffs in 2020 as a wildcard. With 4 games to go that season, we were 7-5 and on a 2-game losing streak. But then magic happened; we won the next 4 games to finish 11-5 & swept the playoffs. Were we ‘lucky’? Oh ya, with injuries to key opposing players, playing the SB in our home stadium, etc. But we were also VERY good in those playoffs, scoring 30-plus PPG, generating a Plus-5 Turnover Differential against the top teams in the league, etc. He11 ya.
And I believe that’s what it takes to win the whole enchilada. Field a solid, competitive team, get a little lucky, and see if the magic happens. Can still remember the 2007 Super Bowl that pitted the 16-0 Patriots led by Tom Brady against the wildcard 10-6 Giants led by Eli Manning. Whodathunk that the Giants would beat the Patriots 17-14 in that game? I still remember being at the 1st game of those 2007 playoffs when the Giants beat the Bucs 24-14 at RayJay to start their march in the playoffs. Bucs turned it over 3 times to none for the Giants. It’s really hard to win in the NFL playoffs with a MINUS-3 Turnover Differential.
June 27th, 2024 at 5:00 am
It’s a 3 WR league. Not 2.
Godwin will retire a Buc. Licht will see to it.
We need Evans, Godwin, And J-Mac together for 3 more years.
And we have to draft Mike Evans understudy next year. A big target.
Depth is everything. Build it while you can.
June 27th, 2024 at 6:17 am
SB windows don’t really seem like a thing anymore, you have teams like the Eagles who went from great, to mediocre, to great again all in 7yrs. Teams have gotten a lot better at scouting and developing talent across the board that sure, our current stars are on their way out but the next star seems closer than ever. The biggest issue seems less about having the right players and way more about having the right GM & coaches.
June 27th, 2024 at 6:44 am
Ohhh boy, Joe is going to get them all worked up, I can hear them now ” Grrrrrr I am so mad you think the bucs can win a super bowl ” this should be good lol.
June 27th, 2024 at 7:10 am
Jason believes in reloading, not rebuilding. And if they fall short of 10 wins, Jason gets to hand pick his next head coach. He’s only done it once — BA.
Lovie hired Jason.
Dirk replacing Lovie was a team Glazer decision, thinking they had a winner with JaMiss.
Jason fired Dirk and hired BA – his only clean HC hire. Super Bowl.
Todd replacing BA was BA’s demand that Jason had agreed to.
It’s exciting who Jason would hire to replace Todd, but more exciting to see Todd lead the Bucs to 11-6 and finish out his career as a Buc.
#AsToddEvolves
#AsRichardFogs
June 27th, 2024 at 7:33 am
I agree with Jacob Vest. When Brady left it was time to rebuild for the future and that required amongst other things playing quarterback Kyle Trask to see what he has and not bring in ho-hum Baker Mayfield to squeak into NFC South titles which don’t mean diddly. I mean how many NFC South Champ t-shirts you see around town? I don’t see any no one gives a crap. So it will be two years maybe three years of Baker Mayfield not sniffing the Super Bowl and then the team will be dismantled. Brilliant!
June 27th, 2024 at 7:46 am
Grrrrrrrr
June 27th, 2024 at 7:51 am
No. Because, I’m not of the belief that it is even open, yet. This is a rebuild. Plain and simple. This is NOT a Super Bowl Contender. Period. And, Reddick doesn’t make them one. This team is still a couple of seasons away, unless Baker turns into Pat Mahomes or something, & Bowles into Belichick. It’s just not in the cards. Not even a possibility. It IS CLOSED. And, it has been. It’s nothing but a complete “Bucs Fantasyland” to make yourself believe otherwise, or just trolling trying to get people all riled up.
June 27th, 2024 at 8:00 am
The Bucs could absolutely win the Super Bowl this season.
Will they? probably not – but the talent (and balance of talent) IS sufficient.
Just have to avoid injuries, make it to the dance and then get hot for 4 games.
June 27th, 2024 at 8:05 am
Anyone advocating for a total rebuild has rocks in their head. Waste a year just to see what Trask has? People are STILL making this argument? Blow it up? No thanks. I hope Licht never does this. I, for one, still have PTSD from the last time this team ‘blew it up’ – lost decade, youngry, toes on the line, Tennessee ready. No thank you.
June 27th, 2024 at 8:10 am
Saw yesterday, where they are still tied with the COLTS as the #20 Super Bowl Betting Odds (+5500-1, I think it was), according to Vegas. There is no “window.” LoL. They’re in the same boat with about 18 other teams. There’re about 7 with a legitimate shot, and another 7 with literally, NO SHOT. Though, they are still stuck in that ‘middle of the pack’ group, but at 5500 to 1… They have basically, NO shot. None. Might as well be ZERO.
June 27th, 2024 at 8:38 am
What window? There was no window. There was a good young team with Brady and Gronk, and now there isn’t. If the Rays stumble to 82-80 and that wins the AL East because a meteor took out NY and the O’s, would they make them elite? Of course not.
It’s a mediocre team in a bad division. We all hope some overachieving happens in the playoffs, but the idea of a Super Bowl window is nuts.
June 27th, 2024 at 8:42 am
U people on this site suck
June 27th, 2024 at 9:21 am
Having a chance to get to the Super Bowl should be every fans wish. Who cares if the NFC south is a weaker division? The Lions game showed we belonged with the best in the NFC. That game could have been won just as easily by the Bucs. Winning while rebuilding is the key. Get us to the playoffs and I couldn’t care less how you do it.
June 27th, 2024 at 9:22 am
Funny how no one complained about the fact that the Patriots played in a weak division for a decade.
June 27th, 2024 at 9:34 am
Thinking our rebuilding began last season without Brady. We are now in a reconditioning mode. This year we have strong rookies, veteran players, and new coaches. Reported on here, many of our players are working out during their break. That says so much.
This season is upon us, not even started, and media are already giving a window for a SB. We will be in the playoffs and hopefully the SB. Many other teams are rebuilding around new QBs. Not us, we have Baker for awhile, plus Evans and others. We are solid. bucnjim is correct. No one says anything about the Patriots.
June 27th, 2024 at 10:02 am
I agree Joe. And while I don’t see a total rebuild happening, it’s very true that we may be in the final 1-3 years of guys like Lavonte and Evans, plus who knows what happens with Godwin.
Despite all the young talent, this team could easily nosedive once those guys are gone. Personally, I’m not ready for another Lost decade yet.
June 27th, 2024 at 10:47 am
Bucnjim, yes they did. Hahaha I knew it would work Joe grrrrr ” BUCS CAN’T WIN THE SUPER BOWL GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!”
June 27th, 2024 at 11:18 am
Mike C can’t seem to remember Patriots fans complaining they were in a weak division. Maybe Jets fans, but Patriot fans always seemed pretty happy to be winning the division every year.
June 27th, 2024 at 11:40 am
I believe we’ll be a solid team, but not a Super Bowl team. With that said, as already mentioned in this thread, if you make it to the playoffs, you have a chance. If any team proves that point, it’s the 2007 New York Giants. On any given Sunday…
June 27th, 2024 at 12:02 pm
Let me see pre-season. Then I will know if we have a chance at the SB. Right now, I love our team!
June 27th, 2024 at 12:12 pm
PinellasPaul – broken record time.
The fact that “you” haven’t seen Trask is all the evidence you need. Guess who has seen him, every day, in OTAs, in Training Camp, in preseason games, in practice, for three years plus? The people who get paid millions of dollars to produce wins or get fired.
So if you’re gonna go with this lazy and silly narrative, then you should be demanding Jason and Todd be fired. Otherwise, accept the fact that Trashk has already proven what he is – a nice guy with a touching underdog story who will be an excellent dad and successful in life.
June 27th, 2024 at 12:24 pm
“By saying “just to see what Trask has?”, you acknowledge you don’t know what Trask has, so how do you know it would be a “wasted” year?”
I saw some mediocre play against UPS drivers in preseason last year. I see a coaching staff who had so much faith in Trask that after two years they signed Baker Mayfield Day 1. That’s enough for me. Anyone who thinks Trask won the job is delusional.
The only people who think Trask is anything special are insufferable Gator fans.
June 27th, 2024 at 1:23 pm
By week 4 Bucs will have faced two teams with the second best odds to win the NFC.
By week 9 Bucs will have faced two other teams with the best Odds to win the AFC.
By the Bye and after playing the team with the best odds in week 10 you should know if the Bucs have a ‘legitimate’ shot at winning the Super Bowl.
If the Bucs struggle out of the gate they could Gel late and win out after the Bye with the toughest game being Dallas.
Although if they lose weeks 5, 6, and 8 they may be looking for help just to get a Wild Card spot.
June 27th, 2024 at 1:51 pm
The head coach will never make it that far. He’s not even trying to win until the last snap. He needs an estrogen blocker
June 27th, 2024 at 1:51 pm
This is why winning as many regular season games as possible is important, because if you can’t breach that playoff berth threshold you don’t get the benefit of even having an SB window. Can this 2024 iteration of the Bucs punch their ticket?
June 27th, 2024 at 1:53 pm
Stormy – the Trashkslurp Club is gonna believe their hilarious fantasy until he opens his home mortgage business, and even then they’ll cry that “they never got to see what the Bucs had in him.”
Tards gonna tard.
June 27th, 2024 at 2:20 pm
@ Dave Pear a/k/a Mr. Broken Record
Your inner hatred prevents you from realizing that NO ONE has seen Trask with the Bucs’ starters because Trask hasn’t played a single series with the Bucs starters in THREE SEASONS! Nor in THREE PRESEASONS! So, me, you, and, yes, “the people who get paid millions of dollars to produce wins or get fired,” ALL have not seen him with the starters. So, yes, NONE OF US KNOW!
However, the fact that “the people who get paid millions of dollars to produce wins or get fired” have Trask as backup to a former Heisman Trophy winner and #1 NFL pick for a second consecutive season means those people obviously see more than “an excellent dad” in him. You would too, if only you could get past your inner hatred.
June 27th, 2024 at 3:17 pm
Jacob Vest and Pinellas Paul… let me get this straight… instead of being in a one score game in the divisional round last year, you would have started Trask, sold vets for picks and enjoyed watching the playoffs without the Bucs?
Ludicrous to me. Licht has played it exactly right in my opinion. If Coen is a good OC this team can win the Super Bowl. Can’t convince me otherwise. Do I think they will… no. Unfortunately I don’t trust Bowles, I would have to see a much improved run game and we are prolly a lil too weak at edge.
Doesn’t mean I won’t be optimistic, if things break right we are looking at meaningful January football for the 5th straight year and who the hell is complaining about that!? Licht keeps drafting well and the Bucs will stay a top half team. It’s worth something to not go too far backwards and/or be terrible.
June 27th, 2024 at 4:19 pm
Paul the pinellas Park Idiot – Jason, Todd, the Glazers, the assistant coaches, the players, the cafeteria workers must not be people because they’ve seen him every day for three years.
What is this “inner haters” you pretend exists? Kyle is a good dude. When Franks went down with his horrific injury, Kyle was the first one by his bedside. He’s an awesome dude. He just proves to the professionals running the team day after day that he’s not NFL material.
Call that hatred if you like. It’s the objectivity of the business. Maybe you can get a pacifier that looks like Trashk of something.
June 27th, 2024 at 6:29 pm
You said “no one” not pat fans, Everyone else was complaining how easy of a path the pats had for 20 years.
June 27th, 2024 at 10:36 pm
They don’t need to see him with the starters to ‘know what he can do’. They’ve been working with the guy for three years. They know because they work with him daily, and that’s why they gave Baker his contract. If they thought Trask was good enough they wouldn’t have brought in Mayfield and theu definitely wouldn’t have resigned him.
This ‘we gotta see him with the starters’ is total bull. Almost as big a load of bull as ‘the competition was fixed’. I’m sure he’s worked with Godwin and/or Evans in practice. You can’t tell me Kyle Trask hasn’t thrown a single pass or run a single play EVER and not had at least some of those guys involved. The fans (aka US) haven’t seen him with the starters and that doesn’t matter.
June 29th, 2024 at 4:09 pm
Here’s my hope, somehow the younger receivers help take some of the burden off of Evans and Godwin so in the end of the season they will have what it takes to Go Deep into the playoffs. Running game we also hope will be a lot better to help Baker get us through. Everyone has to be on the same page, looking back to make sure Baker is ok and adlib.