The Tampa Bay Buccaneers boasted a prolific offense in 2024, one that hit many milestones. The Bucs concluded the 2024 season as the NFL's only team to rank top-five in total yards per game (399.6, fourth), rushing yards per game (149.2, fourth), passing yards per game (250.4, third) and points scored per game (29.5, fourth). Tampa Bay became the first team in NFL history to complete 70%-or-more of its passes andaverage over 5.0 yards per rush attempt in the same season. The Bucs produced the second most first downs per game (23.2) and had the league's best third-down conversion success rate (50.9%), the latter of which marked a new franchise single-season record.
Last season's Pass Game Coordinator, Josh Grizzard, was promoted to offensive coordinator in February after helping develop an offensive attack that proved to be one of the best in the NFL and one of the most successful units in franchise history. The Bucs will operate out of the same system under Grizzard's tutelage with new wrinkles, keeping continuity and terminology in place.
Baker Mayfield will be working with his ninth play-caller since entering the league in 2018. Last year, Mayfield set career-highs with 4,500 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes, a 71.4% completion percentage and a passer rating of 106.8. The familiarity with the vision and verbiage will ease the transition for not only Mayfield, but the offense in its entirety at all positions. Despite the remarkable achievements of last year's offense, expectations are higher for 2025.
"You can see the hunger in guys to be able to push on into the playoffs and you can tell through the meeting rooms and the questions they are asking and the stuff we are getting done on the field – I would not want to compare to last year - It feels we are even a step further," said Grizzard. "We didn't change a lot in the system and now we can get into the nuances of route running and how we are hitting blocks and getting into the shape that we need to get into. They have been hungry. Nobody is resting on the statistical success that we had last year, because ultimately team-wise and in the playoffs is far from what we are trying to do."
The goal for every team each year is to win the Super Bowl, so anything short of that outcome is unsatisfactory. Players are now implementing the reworked 2025 system during voluntary workouts at the AdventHealth Training Center. The Bucs are in Phase II, which includes an uptick in on-field drills and instruction without live contact or offense-versus-defense sessions. Whether the depth of routes, protection adjustments, or getting the body acclimated to the Florida heat, players are becoming acquainted with the 2025 version of the offense. Excitement builds for the future as training continues to rev up and flashes of the new offensive iteration take shape on the grass.
