Quantifying The Glory Days
February 27th, 2025
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
Jason Licht just used an interesting word to describe the state of the Buccaneers.
Appearing at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, the veteran GM said Tampa Bay is an “ascending” franchise. To all of the Todd Bowles skeptics out there, Licht’s label appears ludicrous.
The Bowles bashers see a team stuck in the mud, spinning its wheels even as the Bucs have owned the NFC South since 2021. Upon further review, Licht’s assessment hardly ranks as an overstatement.
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
After all, the Bucs have improved from an 8-9 finish in 2022 to 9-8, and then 10-7 last season. That doesn’t include the 2023 team’s rout of the Eagles in the opening playoff round.
Do you know how many of the NFL’s 32 clubs have added to their win total in each of the past two seasons? Only four — the Bucs, Lions, Packers and Broncos.
That’s a short list, backing up Licht’s claim that Tampa Bay is a franchise on the rise. It’s also a young club poised for a serious playoff run if the offseason goes Licht’s way.
Every team churns the bottom of the roster every year. That’s life in the NFL, but the transformation of the Bucs since the 2020 championship season has been downright remarkable.
Here are the starters from the Super Bowl team, noting that Vita Vea was limited to only five games due to a fractured ankle:
OFFENSE DEFENSE
Tom Brady Will Gholston
Mike Evans Ndamukong Suh
Chris Godwin Rakeem Nunez-Roches
Antonio Brown Shaq Barrett
Rob Gronkowski Lavonte David
Ronald Jones Devin White
Donovan Smith Jason Pierre-Paul
Ali Marpet Carlton Davis
Ryan Jensen Sean Murphy-Bunting
Alex Cappa Jordan Whitehead
Tristan Wirfs Antoine Winfield Jr.
There’s a decent chance the team that lines up for Tampa Bay’s 2025 opener will feature only three or four starters from the championship roster.
Godwin, Gholston and Barrett are unrestricted free agents. David is pondering retirement at the age of 35. The Bucs just waved goodbye to Whitehead.
Even if you count Vea as a 2020 starter, the only sure players back from the Super Bowl team are Vea, Wirfs, Evans and Winfield Jr. That, ladies and gentlemen, is called a massive overhaul in a relatively short period of time.
Is there any compelling reason to think the 2025 Bucs are going to fall on their keysters? Not really, unless you factor in a potential serious injury to Baker Mayfield.
Licht has consistently added high-character players and Todd Bowles has forged a tight locker room.
There are more reasons to believe this franchise will continue to ascend rather than decline. Mayfield’s in his prime, the offensive line is young and second-year back Bucky Irving is a 40-yard run waiting to happen.
The offseason priorities are obvious — defense, defense, defense.
The Bucs have the wherewithal and the motivation to give Bowles dynamic additions for his side of the ball. Fans welcome the news that Bowles is focused on sharpening Tampa Bay’s game management acumen.
It’s not a stretch to suggest these are glory days for Buc fans. Five consecutive years of postseason play is a record stretch of relevance for a franchise that will celebrate its 50th year this fall.
In the lexicon of sports, “ascending” is a beautiful word.
Embrace it, Buc fans.
February 27th, 2025 at 1:03 pm
“Tampa Bay is an “ascending” franchise. To all of the Todd Bowles skeptics out there, Licht’s label appears ludicrous.”
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I definitely in the Bowles detractor’s camp. He’s average at best. I would absolutely agree the Bucs are ascending. The Bucs are loading up on talent in a big way. In the next 2 years, they’ll have a complete team and amass more talent and be deeper than ever.
The team had a ton of talent last year. They should have won more games (2 losses to ATL, loss to Dallas, etc) and Bowles is the cause. Not the talent. Hopefully we’ll have so much talent next year that even Bowles won’t mess it up. Unfortunately, he’s not a Super Bowl caliber HC.
February 27th, 2025 at 1:16 pm
Gotta disagree Ira. Bucs got to the 2nd round of the playoffs in early 2024 and were bounced in the 1st round in early 2025. That is not “ascending,” it is “descending.”
February 27th, 2025 at 1:23 pm
Todd Bowles (IMO) is a good HC. Not great (yet), but good. He can take the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl the same way that Trent Dilfer took the Ravens.
February 27th, 2025 at 1:58 pm
Yes, yes, yes. Not embracing how good it is right now is like a college kid not realizing he’s going through some of the best years of his life. Don’t take these days for granted Bucs fans!
February 27th, 2025 at 2:13 pm
since the SB the offense has been skillfully retooled, the defense has not.
nobody is fooled by words like “ascending”
February 27th, 2025 at 2:18 pm
Thank you. That’s a great assessment
February 27th, 2025 at 2:23 pm
feel better Ira!
February 27th, 2025 at 2:42 pm
I cannot disagree Mr. Sage. Where is the Super Bowl in 2026? I need to book my tickets.
February 27th, 2025 at 2:55 pm
“ascending is a beautiful word. Embrace it, Bucs fans”. I am, I am!!
February 27th, 2025 at 2:57 pm
Don’t want to misquote the Sage. Buc fans.
February 27th, 2025 at 3:04 pm
Thank you SlyPirate!
I read those first 4 lines and shook my head. Straight to comments and you shared my thoughts exactly.
Being an ascending franchise is the exact reason I am a Bowles detractor. I like him, just don’t think he can get us there.
February 27th, 2025 at 3:48 pm
2025 the tide of hating Bowles will turn on the right direction. It will be a similar situation Bucs fans experience with Licht. All is falling in place. The Dream Decade is at the halfway point.
LFG!!!!!
February 27th, 2025 at 3:55 pm
Cool to see even the Bowles haters have such high expectations for him as a coach….they seem to hold him to a superbowl or bust standard, even when your CB1 is Jamel Dean and have no legitimate pass rushers.
February 27th, 2025 at 3:59 pm
Since when did 3 division titles and a being 1 drive away from the NFC championship last year become not good enough for the fans of the losingest franchise in the history of pro sports?
Even more pathetic that a large portion of this fan base wanted Mr. “Duvvalll” as head coach….they seem awfully quite now that their man crushed ghosted them. SAD!