Baker Mayfield had an excellent season, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers improved their win total, won their fourth straight division title, and made a fifth consecutive playoff appearance, which was the best in the NFC.
However, their season ended early with a disappointing 23-20 loss to the Washington Commanders in a wild-card game on Sunday night, leaving them with a bitter feeling.
“Obviously, I’m proud of the work they’ve done this year. It wasn’t good enough,” said coach Todd Bowles on Monday. “The only team that’s going to be happy is the team that’s going to win the Super Bowl.”
The Buccaneers (10-8) fell short of their Super Bowl goal for the fourth straight year since Tom Brady joined in 2020, led them to a Super Bowl win, and raised the expectations for the team.
Still, there is reason for hope.
Mayfield is under contract and has been playing like one of the best quarterbacks. He’ll turn 30 in April and became just the fourth player in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards, 40 touchdowns, and have a completion percentage over 70%.
His teammates admire him, and he has turned into the franchise quarterback that the Cleveland Browns hoped for when they drafted him No. 1 overall in 2018, even though they gave up on him after four seasons.
The Buccaneers are happy to have Mayfield and a solid group of players around him, including All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans, running back Bucky Irving, and tight end Cade Otton.
“A lot of people stepped up throughout the year, a ton of guys that stepped up into huge roles,” Mayfield said. “There is a lot to be proud of. In this moment, that’s hard to see, but there’s a lot of young guys that are going to be on this roster next year that had to step up and did in a big way.
That should build confidence for those guys, knowing that who they are as players and as men in adversity situations, to be able to step up like they did.”
General manager Jason Licht’s main focus in the offseason will be to improve the defense. The biggest needs are at edge rusher, cornerback, and linebacker.
Evans showed his consistency, despite missing three games and part of another due to a hamstring injury. He had his 11th straight 1,000-yard season, tying Jerry Rice for the most in NFL history.
Evans played well against Washington and Marshon Lattimore, catching seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, plus drawing a pass interference penalty in the end zone. However, the Buccaneers couldn’t make enough plays to advance.
Evans will turn 32 before next season, but he shows no signs of slowing down.
The Buccaneers also have reasons for optimism with their impressive 2024 draft class. Center Graham Barton (first round), Irving (fourth round), and wide receiver Jalen McMillan (third round) made an immediate impact.
Barton helped strengthen the offensive line, which led to a significant improvement in the running game. With Irving leading the way as Tampa Bay’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2015, the offense improved from being last in rushing for two straight years to fourth overall.
McMillan caught seven touchdown passes over the last five games, although he did have a key drop early in the game against Washington.
Safety Tykee Smith (third round) and reserve linebacker Chris Braswell (second round) helped the defense stay strong despite several injuries. The Buccaneers were missing three starters — safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead, and cornerback Jamel Dean — for extended periods.
The next step for the Buccaneers will be handling several key free agents, including linebacker Lavonte David, wide receiver Chris Godwin, left guard Ben Bredeson, edge rushers Anthony Nelson and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, defensive tackle Greg Gaines, and special teams player Tavierre Thomas.
Godwin, who will turn 29 in February, had an excellent season before dislocating his ankle in Week 7. He had 50 catches for 576 yards and five touchdowns in just seven games.
David, who is 34 years old, has been the defensive leader for over a decade and has spent his entire 13-year career with the Buccaneers. He was somber after the game, unsure about his future with the team.
“He’s a coach on the field, he’s a captain, he’s a leader, he’s a heck of a person off the field. He’s our bell cow,” Bowles said of David. “When things go wrong, he’ll fix it from a mental standpoint in the locker room.
He gets everybody lined up in the right plays, he understands the game — as well as making a ton of plays himself. He’s meant everything to me, as well as our coaching staff and the players in this building.”
