The list of the top 10 players in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history is a work in progress. That group includes three players who are on the current roster, any or all of whom who could end up in the Hall of Fame and, perhaps, even higher on a similar list if the team conducted another round of votes a decade from now.
Five of the top 10 are already enshrined in Canton and one (hint, hint) other is perhaps the most stone cold lock for enshrinement of all time. All but one (hint, hint) is a homegrown star, drafted, developed and now overwhelmingly celebrated by the franchise. All 10 are Super Bowl champions. There is definitely room for debate about how these 10 players should be ordered in the top 10, but little argument that these are the 10 best to suit up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers…so far.
Since 1976, more than 1,200 players have worn the Tampa Bay uniform during the regular season, each arriving in his own unique way and each leaving their mark on the club's legacy. This milestone season, we're honoring that impact by naming the Top 50 Players in Buccaneers history. That list was shaped by fan voting throughout the offseason, alongside input from Tampa Bay media and team representatives. And now it is ready to be unveiled.
The Top 50 list has been revealed over the course of 10 days, concluding on Thursday night with the players who landed in spots 10 to 1. We've recruited some of the players who made the list to help us share their own stories and celebrate their teammates and predecessors in a series of breakdown videos. Click here to watch the video reveal of the numbers 30-21. We will cover the first five players on that list before devoting dedicated stories to each player who landed in spots five through one.
10. FB Mike Alstott, 1996-2007
It would be hard to name many players more beloved by Buccaneers fans than Mike Alstott, or maybe any whose highlight reels remain an absolutely joy to watch 18 years after his retirement. Alstott was a tailback in a fullback's body, combining brute force and unrelenting will with surprising grace and balance. More than occasionally, would-be tacklers were actually aides to his longest carries, as he would simply absorb hard hits, use them to regain his balance and bounce on to the next tackler. Alstott's famous 19-yard run against Cleveland in 2002 was in the middle of a relatively easy win and could have been a long-forgotten moment in team annals; instead, after he stunned the Raymond James Stadium crowd by bouncing off nine different defenders, Alstott's run made into the final eight in the team's ongoing bracket to determine the top moment in franchise history.
The Buccaneers drafted Alstott early in the second round in 1996 and he made his initial impact as a blocker and a pass-catcher out of the backfield. His 65 catches that year led the team and earned him third place in the voting for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Beginning in his second season, however, Alstott became much more involved in the Bucs' rushing attack and formed a deadly "Thunder & Lightning" duo with Warrick Dunn. He had at least 548 rushing yards and five touchdowns in each of the next six years, peaking at 949 yards in 1999. Overall, his 5,018 career rushing yards rank second only to James Wilder in Bucs history, his 58 rushing touchdowns are by far the most ever for a Tampa Bay player and his 71 total touchdowns is second in team annals to Mike Evans. Alstott made six Pro Bowls, tied with Evans for the most by an offensive player in team history.
9. T Tristan Wirfs, 2020-Present
Tristan Wirfs is only five years into what is hopefully a very long career in Tampa, but it's hard to argue with his placement among the franchise's top 10 players ever. He's already the most decorated offensive lineman in team history, going to four Pro Bowls and becoming the first player in NFL history earn first-team Associated Press All-Pro honors at both left and right tackle. Wirfs has been an utterly dominant blocker since he first arrived in Tampa after being selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft.
The Buccaneers had Donovan Smith entrenched at left tackle when Wirfs was drafted, but they had a hole on the other end of the line after the departure of long-time right tackle Demar Dotson. Wirfs stepped right in, started every game as a rookie and was on the field for 100% of the team's offensive snaps. In fact, he would play every snap in every game he played over his first four seasons despite missing four contests with an ankle injury. So far, he has played in and started 79 regular-season games, plus nine more in the playoffs. As a rookie, he was a key part of an offensive line that was nearly impenetrable in the team's run to Super Bowl glory, including the final game in which Tom Brady was only pressured on three of his dropbacks. Power and nimble on his feet at the same time, Wirfs is already regarded as one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL and his career is still in its early stages.
8. QB Tom Brady, 2020-22
Tom Brady is a no-doubt first-ballot Hall of Famer, and while the majority of his 23-season NFL career was spent with the New England Patriots, his final act as a Super Bowl champion and ageless wonder in Tampa helps his argument for single most valuable player in league history. Brady signed with the Buccaneers in the spring of 2020 after two decades and six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots and proceeded to accomplish far more than what every other quarterback aged 40 or older in league annals had done combined.
The most compelling case for Brady being in the Buccaneers' top 10 – he would presumably be number one on a similar list for the Patriots – despite playing only three seasons in Tampa was his ability to lead the team to a Super Bowl championship in the first of those campaigns. In an incredibly challenging season played through the COVID-19 pandemic, Brady threw for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns leading a Bucs team that hadn't been to the playoffs over the last 12 years to an 11-5 record and a Wild Card berth. Brady out-dueled other future Hall of Fame passers Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes on the way to his seventh ring, earning his fifth Super Bowl MVP award after the Bucs beat the Chiefs, 31-9, in Super Bowl LV. The next season, at the age of 44, Brady led the NFL in both passing yards (5,316) and touchdown passes (43) and posted a 102.1 passer rating as the Bucs won the first of what would be four straight NFC South titles. In just three seasons, Brady moved up to third place all-time in passing yards for the Buccaneers, with 14,643, while his 108 touchdown passes ranks second.
7. LB Lavonte David, 2012-Present
In a little over a week, Lavonte David will become just the third player in franchise history to play 14 or more seasons as a Buccaneer, joining Ronde Barber (16) and Derrick Brooks (14). After initially landing a couple multi-year deals, David has played the last handful of seasons on successive one-year contracts; retirement has been contemplated, but with his level of play barely slipping at all he has simply kept stacking fantastic seasons. David now has 1,600 career tackles and only Brooks has more in franchise history.
While David has undoubtedly been a tackling machine with an unerring nose for the football, he's provided much more than that as the heart and soul of the Bucs' defense. His 39.0 sacks are tied for 10th in team history and he's the only player in the top 10 who was not an edge or interior rusher. Since tackles have been reliably tracked beginning in 1994, David is one of only four players to record 1,500-plus tackles, 35-plus sacks and 10-plus interceptions, joining London Fletcher, Ray Lewis and Bobby Wagner. He is likely to be voted a team captain for the 12th straight year in the coming weeks and he is the NFL's active leader in solo tackles, fumble recoveries and interceptions by a linebacker. After Mike Evans, he is the next player to crack our top-10 list who is not yet in the Hall of Fame. Whether or not he ends up with that honor, too, David will always be considered one of the very best Buccaneers ever to play the game.
6. S John Lynch, 1993-2003
John Lynch, who is now in his eighth year as the San Francisco 49ers' general manager, is considered one of the hardest-hitting defenders in NFL lore, but he also one games with his mind. Legendary Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin nicknamed Lynch 'The Closer' because he had a knack for making his biggest plays when his team needed them the most.
The Buccaneers drafted Lynch in the third round in 1993 after he convinced them he would give up a potential career as a pitcher in the MLB to return to concentrate on his first sports love. While he was only a part-time starter in his first three seasons, Lynch leapt to stardom once Kiffin and Tony Dungy arrived, just like Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp did. In 1997, Lynch made the first of an eventual nine Pro Bowl rosters, including five with the Buccaneers before he finished his career in Denver. He was also an Associated Press first-team All-Pro in 1999 and 2000 and a second-team selection in 2001 and 2002. He stands sixth in franchise history in both tackles (973) and interceptions (23) and he had another 46 tackles and one interception in playoff action. Lynch's signature moments include a momentum-changing interception against Washington in the 1999 Divisional Round of the playoffs and a key role in producing a stifling defensive effort against Oakland's top-ranked offense in a Super Bowl XXXVII blowout. He was also instrumental in changing the culture and helping produce a long-awaited franchise turnaround that changed the Buccaneers from a team that had posted 14 straight losing seasons to one that was a perennial playoff contender.
