The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fallen short of the playoffs for the first time since 2019, and they have no one to blame but themselves. The Bucs kept a glimmer of hope alive with a Week 18 win over the Carolina Panthers, but a late-season swoon meant that they still needed help entering the final Sunday of the season. When the Falcons polished off a win over the Saints on Sunday, the tiebreakers handed the division to Carolina, and Tampa was thrust into what should be a very uncomfortable offseason.
This has been one of the more consistent franchises in the NFL in recent years, but it feels like things have grown a bit stale. The offense collapsed amid injuries and another up-and-down performance from Baker Mayfield. And even more concerningly, the defense once again failed to carry its weight. It's clear that if the Bucs don't want to get left behind in the NFC, major changes need to be made — starting with saying goodbye to
EDGE Haason Reddick
Tampa made a rare foray into the deep end of free agency in order to bring Reddick aboard ... only to watch him flop spectacularly, tallying just 2.5 sacks on the season for a defense in desperate need of some pass rush help. The Bucs' need at edge is even more acute this time around, but it seems hard to believe they're interested in a reunion as they likely look to attack the position with a high draft pick.
All of which leaves Reddick in a precarious spot. He was a Pro Bowler as recently as two seasons ago, and he recorded four straight campaigns with double-digit sacks from 2020-2023. Then again, he's 31 years old now, and each of the last three teams he's been on have soured on having him around. It's getting to the point where his upside might not be worth the headache anymore, although there are so many teams in need of pass rush that one of them is bound to take a buy-low flier.
Free agency prediction: Bengals
RB Rachaad White
White is more a victim of circumstance than anything. Bucky Irving's emergence left him relegated to a 1B role, and Sean Tucker's presence means that Tampa can fill that role on the cheap moving forward rather than bringing White back in free agency.
He proved during Irving's injury this season that he's still a perfectly decent rotation option at age 27. He's not going to get a multiyear deal or be handed an every-down role, and he's well behind the top names at the position this offseason like Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker and Travis Etienne. But if you're a team looking for someone to soak up first- and second-down work — and you miss out on Javonte Williams — you could certainly do worse.
Free agency prediction: Steelers
CB Jamel Dean
Of all of Tampa's pending free agents, Dean likely holds the most market value, despite missing time in each of the last two seasons due to injuries. He's not the most dynamic player, but he's been very reliable on the outside for years now, and good players at premium positions tend to get paid.
Will the Bucs be the team to do so? I'm a bit skeptical, especially if Todd Bowles gets canned and a new defensive scheme is brought in. Tampa was happy to let Carlton Davis walk last offseason, and if someone else comes at Dean with a multiyear deal worth something like $12-13 million per, the Bucs could opt to let him walk as they reassess this core.
Free agency prediction: Raiders
LB Lavonte David
Like Evans, it's hard to imagine David playing anywhere but Tampa. But he still deserves mention here, because based on the way he left the field after Week 18's win over Carolina, it sure seems like he's ready to call it a career.
And what a career it's been for the second-round pick back in 2012. David is a three-time All-Pro and a Super Bowl champion, one of the best off-ball linebackers of his era. Father Time finally seems to have caught up with him, and as he loses some of his trademark range it's probably for the best that these two sides part ways. But David deserves to be remembered as a truly great Buccaneer.