What’s next for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

With Mayfield, Evans, and Winfield Jr. returning, what is the next step for Jason Licht and the Bucs?

There is little chance Jason Licht is anything other than ecstatic, regarding the moves his team has been able to make in the early stages of the 2024 offseason. The Buccaneers ended their season with questions about whether or not they would be able to retain some of the club’s biggest stars. Three of Tampa Bay’s most crucial starters from a season ago had expiring contracts. Before the window of free agency even opened, Jason Licht and his staff managed to lock up all three.

The first contract off the board— The legacy deal. Mike Evans, as good a player as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ organization has ever had, agreed to a brand-new two-year contract to get the ball rolling.

Next, the Bucs turned their attention to their key young defender. In just four short seasons, Antoine Winfield Jr. has ascended to elite status amongst his peers. The safety position is an undervalued position throughout the league but Tampa has a player capable of transcending conventional thought. Winfield Jr. has been a playmaker of the highest caliber during his time in Tampa— The team exercised its option of using the franchise tag on its talented defensive back.

Finally, the last piece of Tampa’s offseason ‘Big three’ fell into place when the Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield were able to agree to terms on a three-year deal, securing stability at the team’s most important position.

These moves put the Buccaneers ahead of the curve. With all three players taken care of and under contract for next season, prior to the beginning of free agency, the Buccaneers have the ability to shift their focus— Second-level priorities can now become a top-level focus for the team. The Buccaneers no longer need to worry about who the quarterback will be or if Mike Evans will retire as a Buccaneer. Instead, Tampa can turn its attention elsewhere—

The return of Lavonte David.

Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

Mike Evans has gotten a lot of attention this offseason (deservedly so) for being a great player who deserves to finish his career where it began. All true, however, before there was Mike Evans, there was Lavonte David. Lavonte David has been a Buccaneer for 12 seasons and he has been excellent for 12 seasons. The Buccaneers are lucky enough to have two of the best players in the franchise’s history on the team at the same time. Mike Evans has been taken care of, now the attention must shift to making sure Lavonte David is as well.

Keeping special teams special.

Last offseason, the Buccaneers made a somewhat controversial decision when they decided to move away from veteran and Super Bowl champion kicker Ryan Succop. The Buccaneers had gotten some diminishing results from Succop, during the 2022 season, after the stellar start to his tenure in Tampa. The Buccaneers held an open competition for the job which was won by Chase McLaughlin. McLaughlin had been a journeyman kicker prior to last season, where he was simply fantastic. McLaughlin was nearly perfect, missing a total of just two kicks all year.

Kickers are a quirky position, they can win and lose games— Tampa Bay knows it too well— Good ones aren’t always easy to find. McLaughlin will certainly be in line for a new contract offer to stick around in Tampa.

Finding a longer-term answer for Antoine Winfield Jr.

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The franchise tag is great— because it means the Buccaneers won’t lose one of their best players. It also comes with the drawback of being an isolated, one-year commitment. The Buccaneers, moving forward, will need to ensure they are able to keep one of their best, young, core pieces around for the long haul. Tagging him is a good decision because it does provide a temporary solution, but the status of Antoine Winfield Jr. beyond next season must be a high-priority.

While this list of three represents things the team will likely be looking to address in the near future, the Buccaneers may also be focused on an extension for franchise left tackle Tristan Wirfs, as well as returning/bringing in quality depth pieces and role players to help the team compete again for another NFC South in 2024. Jason Licht and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a very successful offseason thus far but the job is far from done.

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