NFL franchise all-time power rankings: Which organization comes out on top?

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are nearly impossible to rank. They have the worst regular season winning percentage of any active NFL franchise, winning just over 40 percent of their games. They’ve lost 142 games more than they won. Yet, they find themselves here on the list. It comes down to two seasons. The Bucs are one of 15 franchises with multiple Super Bowls. They also won them in two very different eras, unlike say the Dolphins who won both of theirs with the same core. 

Let’s start at the sad creamsicle beginning. The Bucs joined the league in 1976. The league put them in the AFC West because geography was not their strong suit. This all led to a historic losing streak, with the Bucs going 0-26 to kick off football in Tampa. The Buccaneers became synonymous with losing. They were the butt of jokes across the country. 

Then, in 1979, it’s like something woke up in this franchise. They went from laughing stock to division winner. They continued to be decent until 1982, but then the losing came back with a vengeance. The Bucs would miss the playoffs every season from 1983 to 1996. 

The Bucs would start to find success in the late 90s. They started to stack defensive stars like Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks. They eventually realized they needed to make a bold move for a head coach, so they traded for Jon Gruden of the Raiders. He helped them win Super Bowl XXXVII in one of the most impressive defensive performances ever. Then, after a few decades of decent play, the Bucs announced they signed Tom Brady in 2020. In his first season away from New England, Brady delivered a championship to Tampa, their second in franchise history.