Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers
By Dominic Feo
Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2024-25 season did not end the way fans hoped, injuries and a new offensive mind helped the team find its “post-Brady” identity.
The season began with statement wins over the Washington Commanders, and the Detroit Lions, followed by an upset loss to the Denver Broncos and a win against the Philadelphia Eagles to put Tampa Bay at 3-1.
After a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons in week five, a 51-27 blowout win against the New Orleans Saints next week lifted the team’s spirits.
Through the first six games, the offense ran through wide receiver Chris Godwin. Godwin was on pace for a career year with 43 receptions and 511 receiving yards.
Godwin’s season was cut short on Oct. 21 against the Baltimore Ravens when he went down with an ankle injury in the game’s final minutes. Wide receiver Mike Evans also suffered a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for the next three games.
Photo by Sofía García Vargas | The Crow’s Nest
In Godwin and Evans’ absence, the Buccaneers lost three straight games, as the team fell to 4-6.
If the Buccaneers wanted to get back on track, the offense had to adapt.
In Tampa Bay’s last two seasons, the team ranked last in the NFL in rushing yards. The team ended this season with the fourth most.
The massive jump in production was due in part to first-year offensive coordinator Liam Coen and rookie running back Bucky Irving.
Coen’s offense focused on zone runs that created gaps in the defense for running backs to find space.
The offense proved to fit Irving perfectly.
He was shifty enough to quickly hit those gaps, and his speed turned them into long runs.
Irving ran his way to a first-place finish in rushing yards (1,122) and touchdowns (8) among rookies this season.
Photo by Sofía García Vargas | The Crow’s Nest
An efficient run game took some of the workload off quarterback Baker Mayfield while he built chemistry with tight end Cade Otton and rookie receiver Jalen McMillan, who both filled Godwin’s role as reliable pass catchers.
Sterling Shepard and Ryan Miller who joined the Buccaneers as receiver depth, made crucial catches in big moments down the stretch.
Mayfield having an arsenal of reliable options helped him have a career year. In his second season with Tampa Bay, Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Photo by Sofía García Vargas | The Crow’s Nest
The revamped Bucs went on a four-game winning streak as they crept back into the race for the division. Following a 26-24 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 22, Tampa Bay needed to win their last two games against the Carolina Panthers and the Saints to clinch the division.
They beat the Panthers 48-14 in a blowout that will be remembered as the “duck game” after a duck flew onto the field before a Panthers punt that the Buccaneers blocked and returned for a touchdown.
Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay then needed either a win against New Orleans or an Atlanta Falcons’ loss against the Panthers. Both ended up happening as the Buccaneers beat the Saints 27-19 and the Falcons lost to the Panthers 44-38.
The final play of the regular season was a five-yard catch by Evans that put him over 1,000 receiving yards for the 11th straight season, tying Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s record set in 1996.
After a dominant end to the season, hopes were high that the Buccaneers could make a deep playoff run. That run, however, would have to start against a familiar foe.
The Washington Commanders, led by star rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels had greatly improved since Tampa Bay beat them in week one and were motivated to get payback.
The Buccaneers put up a valiant effort, but Daniels long passes and efficient scrambling were too much for Tampa Bay’s defense to handle, losing 23-20 on Jan 12.
In a season where the Buccaneers changed so much, it is poetic that it started and ended against the same team.
A historic season meant promotions for members of the Buccaneers staff. Those promotions however, would come from other teams.
On Jan. 23, the Los Vegas Raiders hired Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek as general manager, and the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Coen to be its new head coach.
Coen originally backed out of the running to be the Jaguars head coach, but decided to take it after the Jacksonville fired general manager Trent Baalke.
With Coen’s departure, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht will begin the search for the team’s third offensive coordinator in three years.
As the Buccaneers front office fills out its staff, it will do everything it can to keep the roster together.
Veteran linebacker Lavonte David who has been the heartbeat of the Bucs defense since he was drafted in 2012, just wrapped up his 13th season and gave a noncommittal answer about whether he will keep playing.
“I got a lot to think about, man… go home, get my little girl, be a dad and go from there,” David said after the playoff loss to Washington.
If this was David’s last year as a Buccaneer, it was with a team that is through a shift in identity, is primed to make the playoffs once again next season.
