The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t appear as a Super Bowl contender to football experts. However, don’t be surprised when it’s all said and done that Tampa Bay is playing in the biggest game in American sports.
The Buccaneers kept all 11 starters from last season on offense and signed great talent in free agency to make this team a contender for the Lombardi Trophy.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has continued to elevate his play each season and could finally get Tampa Bay back to where they were with Tom Brady.
Let’s break down why Tampa Bay could ultimately win Super Bowl LX.
Buccaneers Have Realistic Chance to Win it All
Baker Mayfield has Progressed Each Year in Tampa Bay
In 2024, Mayfield silenced all critics by throwing for 4,500 yards (3rd), 41 touchdowns (tied-2nd), and finished with a top 15 QBR. The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner has put to bed his poor play with the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers by finding a place he can finally call home in Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers rewarded Mayfield before last season with a 3-year, $100 million contract, paying him elite quarterback money. He has led the team to two consecutive NFC South division titles in 2023 and 2024, with one playoff win.
With all the starters coming back on offense this season, including wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, along with the selection of Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, the sky is the limit for this offense in 2025.
Team Returns Playmaking and Resiliency on Defense
On the other side, the defense returns most of their starters with Lavonte David slotted in the captain role to run it. All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. leads the team in the secondary, and two-time Pro Bowler Vita Vea sets the tone on the defensive line.
Head Coach Todd Bowles also knows how to get the best out of a defense, with an aggressive style of play calling. He relies on his secondary to play man-to-man and force turnovers to allow short fields for the offense.
Weak NFC South Division
Let’s not kid ourselves – the NFC South has been the worst division in the NFL for the past five seasons, and it doesn’t look to be improving this upcoming season.
The Atlanta Falcons looked poised to run away with the division midway through last season. However, Kirk Cousins‘ performances began to spiral out of control, and he was eventually benched for rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta will rely on Penix this season with a lot to prove.
The New Orleans Saints are rebuilding, with a new coach in Kellen Moore. The franchise is looking to establish the quarterback position after losing Derek Carr to retirement. As a result, they drafted Tyler Shough out of Louisville and will have an open competition between Shough and Spencer Rattler. The Saints will have a lot to be desired this season.
The Carolina Panthers haven’t had a winning season since 2017 and haven’t been relevant since Cam Newton was the starting signal caller. Bryce Young enters his third season with expectations that haven’t been higher since he was drafted in 2023. However, the Panthers still face major question marks on both sides of the ball. The defense proved to be unreliable last season, susceptible to giving up big plays, and were in multiple high-scoring games.
Overall, Tampa Bay sits in a great position in the NFC. Contenders such as the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions face a much tougher schedule due to the strength of the division they play in. The Bucs come into the season knowing they can make a run in the postseason after reaching the Divisional and Wild Card rounds in the previous two years with Mayfield under center. Can Tampa Bay get back to the Super Bowl after Brady was able to deliver a title in Super Bowl LV?
Tampa Bay to win Super Bowl: +2800, according to FanDuel
Main Image: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
