Leadership and Coordinators
- Owners: The Glazer family Bryan Glazer and Edward Glazer, Owner/Co-Chairmen Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Owner The family has maintained continuity with Jason Licht and Todd Bowles after years of division success. Missing the playoffs in 2025 raised the pressure to prove the late collapse was temporary.
- Decision Maker: Jason Licht — General Manager Licht remains the roster’s chief architect. His 2026 work emphasized defensive size, edge pressure and a younger receiving plan after the departure of franchise icon Mike Evans.
- Head Coach: Todd Bowles Bowles led Tampa Bay to three consecutive division titles before the 2025 collapse ended that streak. He remains the defense’s primary play-caller and must correct the coverage and situational problems that undermined an encouraging start.
- Offensive Coordinator: Zac Robinson Robinson takes over after serving as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator. His system must support Baker Mayfield, preserve the run game and build a passing hierarchy around Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin.
- Defensive Coordinator: Todd Bowles Tampa Bay does not list a separate defensive coordinator on its 2026 coaching staff.
- Special Teams Coordinator: Danny Smith. Smith inherits a phase that allowed five blocked kicks in 2025. Cleaning up protection and operation details is one of the roster’s clearest opportunities for immediate improvement.
2025 Season Recap
Tampa Bay’s 2025 season began like another extension of the franchise’s long run of NFC South control. The Buccaneers opened 3–0, reached their bye at 6–2 and earned notable wins against Seattle and San Francisco. They appeared positioned to capture a fifth consecutive division title. Instead, they lost seven of their final nine games, finished 8–9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
The ending was particularly cruel. Tampa Bay beat Carolina 16–14 in Week 18 and temporarily kept its postseason chances alive. Atlanta’s later victory over New Orleans completed a three-way tie at 8–9, and Carolina won the tiebreaker. The Buccaneers had beaten the eventual division champion in the finale but had already surrendered too many opportunities during the preceding two months.
Baker Mayfield again played with toughness and aggression, though the offense never maintained its early-season rhythm. Injuries across the line and skill positions forced constant adjustment. Mike Evans missed significant time, Chris Godwin’s availability remained uneven and Bucky Irving was not always healthy enough to give the run game its full explosive element. Tampa Bay still scored 380 points, most in the division, but the weekly volatility made it difficult to protect leads or help the defense with sustained drives.
Rookie Emeka Egbuka was the offense’s most encouraging development. He caught 63 passes for 938 yards and six touchdowns, earning PFWA All-Rookie recognition. His polish, body control and ability to win from multiple alignments showed that he could become much more than a complementary receiver. Evans’ eventual departure makes that development central to the 2026 offense rather than merely promising.
The offensive line’s health mattered throughout the slump. When Tristan Wirfs and the core group were available, Tampa Bay could run with balance and give Mayfield time for deeper concepts. When the lineup changed, pressures and stalled early downs increased. Mayfield’s competitive style helped create plays, but it also exposed him to hits and occasionally encouraged high-risk decisions when the offense fell behind.
Defensively, Tampa Bay remained stout against the run. The Buccaneers allowed 99.1 rushing yards per game, fifth best in the league, and Vita Vea continued to control the interior. Yaya Diaby generated pressure at a strong rate and demonstrated that he could be part of the long-term edge solution. The problems came behind that front. Coverage communication, explosive passes and third-down execution repeatedly turned solid early downs into scoring drives. The defense allowed 411 points, most in the NFC South.
Special teams added avoidable stress. Five blocked kicks reflected protection and operation failures rather than a lack of individual talent. In a season decided by narrow margins, those snaps mattered. Tampa Bay’s late losses were rarely about one single weakness; they were the product of offense, defense and special teams each creating a costly mistake at the wrong time.
The 24–20 home loss to New Orleans in December summarized the slide. Tampa Bay had enough talent and opportunity to control the game but failed to finish. By the time the Buccaneers steadied themselves against Carolina, they no longer controlled their playoff path. The four-year division-title streak ended not because another NFC South team became dominant, but because Tampa Bay could not separate from a group that all finished below .500.
Licht and Bowles responded with significant changes. Zac Robinson became the new offensive coordinator, Danny Smith took over special teams and Bowles retained direct control of the defense. The roster added edge help, linebackers and defensive-line size while Evans, Jamel Dean and Lavonte David left enormous leadership and production voids. Tampa Bay still has Mayfield, Wirfs, Egbuka, Godwin, Vea and Antoine Winfield Jr.—enough top-end talent to reclaim the division. The 2026 question is whether the new supporting structure can prevent another strong first half from dissolving under injuries and execution errors.
Update: Baker Mayfield has signed an extension in Tampa Bay for $55 million per season and 3 years.
2025 NFC South Standing
- 1. Carolina Panthers — 8–9 (3–3 division) — Lost WC PF: 311 · PA: 380
- 2. TB Buccaneers — 8–9 (3–3 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 380 · PA: 411
- 3. Atlanta Falcons — 8–9 (3–3 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 353 · PA: 401
- 4. NO Saints — 6–11 (3–3 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 306 · PA: 383
Tampa Bay scored the most points in the division but also allowed the most. The identical 8–9 and 3–3 records at the top left the Buccaneers dependent on a tiebreaker they did not win.
Notable 2026 Player Additions
- LB Alex Anzalone Anzalone brings coverage range, communication and 95 tackles from his 2025 season in Detroit. He is the leading candidate to organize a linebacker room transitioning away from David.
- EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad Muhammad arrives after an 11-sack season and gives Tampa Bay an experienced power rusher opposite its young edge talent.
- DL A’Shawn Robinson Robinson is a durable, physical run defender who started all 33 games during two seasons in Carolina. He adds size and early-down stability next to Vea.
- RB Kenneth Gainwell Gainwell provides third-down receiving, pass protection and change-of-pace value behind Irving and Rachaad White.
- S Miles Killebrew Killebrew is an accomplished special-teams player whose leadership and coverage ability directly address a phase that made too many mistakes in 2025.
- DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches The former Buccaneer returns to add interior depth, familiarity and energy to a defensive-line rotation built to stay fresh.
Notable 2026 Player Losses
- WR Mike Evans Evans leaves as the greatest offensive player in franchise history after more than a decade of elite production and leadership. Egbuka now becomes the central outside receiver much earlier than previously expected.
- LB Lavonte David David’s retirement removes the defense’s longtime heartbeat, communicator and most trusted coverage linebacker. His instincts cannot be replaced by one player.
- CB Jamel Dean Dean’s size, speed and outside-corner experience leave a secondary that already struggled with explosive passes. Younger corners must take on more difficult assignments.
- DL Logan Hall Hall’s length and alignment flexibility move to Houston. Robinson, Nuñez-Roches and rookie DeMonte Capehart reshape the interior rotation.
- QB Teddy Bridgewater Bridgewater’s departure leaves rookie Jalon Daniels as the only active backup to Mayfield on the initial roster.
2026 Draft Class
- Round 1, Pick 15 — EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami A powerful, technically advanced rusher with the versatility to win from several alignments. He has an immediate role in a front that needs more four-man pressure.
- Round 2, Pick 46 — LB Josiah Trotter, Missouri An instinctive, physical linebacker who pushed for a starting role during camp. His development is central to the post-David transition.
- Round 3, Pick 84 — WR Ted Hurst, Georgia State A productive, competitive receiver with size and contested-catch ability. He can earn work behind Egbuka and Godwin through reliability and special teams.
- Round 4, Pick 116 — DB Keionte Scott, Miami A versatile nickel and safety option whose quickness and tackling fit Bowles’ pressure-heavy sub-packages.
- Round 5, Pick 155 — DT DeMonte Capehart, Clemson A massive interior defender who can absorb double-teams and help preserve Vea’s workload.
- Round 5, Pick 160 — G Billy Schrauth, Notre Dame A tough, technically sound guard prospect developing behind an offensive line that has dealt with repeated injuries.
- Round 6, Pick 185 — TE Bauer Sharp, LSU An athletic receiving tight end with movement skills and special-teams value competing for a complementary role behind Cade Otton.
2026 Spotlight Watch
- Hot Seat — Todd Bowles Bowles owns the defensive call sheet after a season in which Tampa Bay allowed a division-high 411 points and collapsed from 6–2 to 8–9. The roster added front-seven help; improvement in coverage, third downs and late-game execution must follow.
- Breakout Watch — Emeka Egbuka Egbuka’s 938-yard rookie season already established a strong floor. With Evans gone, he can become the passing game’s primary coverage problem by expanding his route usage and converting more of Mayfield’s aggressive downfield opportunities.
- Bust Watch — Al-Quadin Muhammad Muhammad’s 11-sack 2025 season was a major late-career surge. Tampa Bay needs the pressure behind those sacks to remain sustainable; if his first step or snap-to-snap impact regresses, the defense may still be too dependent on Bain and Diaby off the edge.
- Team Superstar — Tristan Wirfs Wirfs is the offense’s most stable elite player. His rare movement skills, power and ability to erase premier rushers protect Mayfield and give Robinson freedom to build the run game in any direction.
Prediction
Baker Mayfield signing an extension with the TB Bucs was not enough to propel the team to the top of the weak NFC South. We have them in last place in the NFC South with a 3-14 record.
Below is the complete 2026 regular season projections.
Sources
- NFL: Final 2025 division standings
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2025 season history
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Front office
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2026 coaching staff
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2026 free agency tracker
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2026 draft class
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Initial 2026 roster
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2026 coaching changes
