When people think of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they might not have a very favorable opinion of the franchise because of the losing history of the team. Many will remember the “Creamsicle” years where the team was terrible, and that remained true for a majority of the 80s and 90s. Outside of their 2002 Super Bowl Championship with Jon Gruden, they had not done a whole lot of winning in their franchise history.
Then, in 2020, the Buccaneers hit the jackpot. Legendary quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots had a falling out, and through some stroke of insane luck, they landed the signal-caller that year to be their new starting QB. Some might say that the great weather and no income tax had a say in his decision, and they would probably be right, but Tampa Bay also had a talented young team that was missing one key piece.
Immediately, Brady ushered in a new era for the franchise. No longer were they a team that everyone looked over, but rather, a team that everyone was paying attention to. Instead of the typical losing culture that had been instilled for years, Brady brought with him years of success, and wiped away the “woe is me” attitude of the team. Special players make special plays, and they also can completely reverse decades of failure in only a couple of years. There is no bigger example of that than Tampa Bay.
Since 2020, the Buccaneers have won more games than any other team in the NFC. According to Paul Hembro (@PaulHembro on X) from ESPN’s Get Up!, these are the teams with the most wins in the NFC since 2020, including the playoffs:
Hembro points out that Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht is perhaps the most underrated GM in the NFL, and honestly, I would have to agree with him. While winning with Tom Brady at QB is easy to do, the superstar retired a couple of years ago now. What you manage to do after his departure is what really counts. Will you keep that winning culture, or go back to being losers?
Tampa has answered that question, as they are once again back in the NFL playoffs after a 10-7 season in which they won the NFC South yet again. Where other teams used QB Baker Mayfield on their scout team as a defensive end, the Bucs saw that he was still a talented passer that just needed the right situation around him, and they have revived his career. Much like Sam Darnold in Minnesota, it is the mark of a good franchise when you can get the most out of players that others had left for dead.
While it may be a bit shocking to some, the Buccaneers have been the most successful NFC team over the last five years. It shows how a losing organization can become a sustained winning one with great leadership and a bit of competence.
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