The Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Washington Commanders were three of the best teams in the NFC in 2024.
What do they all have in common? They all lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at some point last year.
Since the Bucs have been the class of the NFC South in recent years and managed to best some of the best teams in the conference last season, should Tampa Bay be considered a sneaky Super Bowl contender in 2025?
Baker Mayfield’s exceptional play over the last two years has helped both Dave Canales and Liam Koen both land head coaching gigs after one-year stints as the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay.
Mayfield’s play hasn’t just helped his coaching staff, it has helped elevate this Bucs’ offense into an elite group. His 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes were both career highs, which becomes all the more impressive when you consider Chris Godwin missed over half of the season and Mike Evans missed a month worth of action due to injury.
Speaking of Godwin, the Bucs kept their entire starting offense together by signing him to a multi-year deal this offseason. Additionally, Tampa Bay has standout linebacker Lavonte David for at least one more season.
The core of this team on both sides of the ball is solid. The offensive line has quickly become one of the better units in the league with the addition of Graham Barton at center alongside Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke.
On the flip side of the ball, YaYa Diaby, Vita Vea, and Calijah Kancey all had solid years and will get some pass-rushing juice on the edge with the addition of Haason Reddick.
The starting linebacker position opposite of David, an edge rusher to work behind Reddick and Diaby, and adding another cornerback to play the nickel with Tykee Smith expected to become the full-time starter at safety next to Antoine Winfield Jr. feels like the biggest needs on the roster entering the 2025 NFL Draft, which the Bucs could choose to address at No. 19 overall.
The Bucs’ record wasn’t elite, but their wins against the Eagles, Lions, and Commanders in the regular season all suggest they can compete with the big boys in the NFC. Additionally, the Bucs are well positioned to compete for another NFC South crown with the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints all with either uncertain or underwhelming outlooks under center entering the upcoming season — which has this organization feeling it still has an open Super Bowl window entering the 2025 NFL season.