The Tampa Bay Buccaneers chose their 2026 team captains on Monday through a vote by the players, and ended up selecting six team leaders, four of whom were also captains in 2025. Those four – quarterback Baker Mayfield, tackle Tristan Wirfs, nose tackle Vita Vea and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. – were joined by wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. and linebacker Alex Anzalone.
While Godwin and Anzalone were not captains for the Buccaneers in 2025, they are not new to captaincy roles. Godwin was one of eight team captains for Tampa Bay's 2023 squad, while Anzalone wore the "C" on his jersey in each of his five seasons (2021-25) with the Detroit Lions. The Buccaneers signed Anzalone as an unrestricted free agent in March and he immediately stepped into both a starting job and a leadership role.
Godwin and Anzalone fill the void of two long-time captains whose streaks ended when they departed from the team this offseason. Linebacker Lavonte David, who had been a captain for the last 12 of his 14 seasons in Tampa, elected to retire while wide receiver Mike Evans, a captain for the past nine years, moved on to San Francisco in free agency.
Vea will wear the "C" on his jersey for a fifth season in a row. Mayfield, Winfield and Wirfs are all headed into their fourth seasons as captains. Mayfield had previously been a team captain for one season with the Cleveland Browns and one season with the Carolina Panthers.
The Buccaneers will open their 2026 regular season on Sunday with a game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
