The Buccaneers fielded an offensive juggernaut in 2024, powered by the resurrection of the run game and the improvisation skills of quarterback Baker Mayfield. Last year's unit proved to be one of the most successful in franchise history. Tampa Bay finished the 2024 season as the NFL's only club to rank top-five in each of the following categories: 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). The Bucs became the lone team in NFL history to complete 70%-or-more of their passes and average over 5.0 yards per rush attempt in the same season. Additionally, the Bucs' 5.3 rushing yards per attempt set a new franchise record as did their 2,536 total rushing yards.
In 2025, the Buccaneers' will operate out of a similar system with familiarity for players in verbiage; however, new wrinkles will be implemented under Josh Grizzard. The Bucs promoted Grizzard in February to offensive coordinator after he spent the 2024 season as the team's pass game coordinator. Last year, Grizzard became a crucial resource for then-Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen by looking at league tendencies to incorporate into the gameplan to maximize the Bucs' personnel. He looked at the usage of shifts/motions around the league and the various ways to utilize movement to create space and attack voids in zones. Grizzard strategized for third-down situations during the week of game preparation and Tampa Bay led the NFL with a team-record 50.9% third-down conversion rate in 2024.
Grizzard will be Baker Mayfield's ninth play-caller since he entered the league and his promotion will make the transition easier for QB1 in Tampa Bay. 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. Mayfield also ranked in the top four in the NFL in all of the aforementioned categories and became one of just 10 players in NFL history to ever throw for 4,500-plus yards and 40-plus touchdowns in a single season. The former Heisman Trophy winner will vie to bring the Buccaneers to their fifth-straight division crown in 2025, building off the team's onslaught last season.
With an offensive lineman's mentality, Mayfield galvanizes Tampa Bay's offense with his effort and physicality. In 2024, Mayfield dominated the blitz and effectively isolated man coverage on receivers. He made several plays last season that fell in the rare, otherworldly category, including the famed play against the 49ers where Mayfield fended off Nick Bosa with one arm, shuffled his feet laterally and somehow managed to deliver a critical fourth-down strike to Rachaad White from off-structure. Tom Brady, part of the game's network broadcast team, emphatically described the play as "one of the best" he has ever seen a quarterback make. The other memorable and encapsulating play by Mayfield came in the Wild Card Round against Washington. WR Mike Evans faked an outside release like he was going to catch a fade, then once Marshon Lattimore took the bait, Evans worked inside for the grab. Commanders' Quan Martin dropped in coverage and Mayfield transfixed the crowd by threading the needle over Martin's helmet and out of Lattimore's reach.
In 2025, the Bucs have placed an emphasis on adding more downfield explosive plays. Last year, Tampa Bay's offense was predicated on getting playmakers out in space to generate yards after the catch. While the Bucs were sixth in yards gained per pass attempt, they were 29th in average air yards per attempt, at 6.8. However, Tampa Bay was second only to Detroit in total YAC last year, with 3,830, and its yards-after-catch-over-expected total of 498 yards was number one. The Bucs found a winning formula through the short-to-intermediate area, but the unit is striving for shots downfield to electrify the crowd and balance the offense.
"[We're] working on that, being able to connect on the chemistry we're trying to build right now and just the timing of some of these routes – where the landmarks are and understanding that if it's two-high [safety coverage], one-high [safety coverage], where we're trying to throw the ball," stated Mayfield. "This is the time of year we're working on it. Obviously, you would love to have more down-the-field shots, but any completion is a good one."
Last season, the club's primary deep threat, Evans, finished the year with 74 receptions for 1,004 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. In recording his 11th straight 1,000-yard season, Evans extended his own NFL record for the longest-such streak to begin a player's career. With his 11th such season overall, Evans tied Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (11 from 1986-96) for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in NFL history. Evans also broke a tie with Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss (10) for the second-most total 1,000-yard seasons in league history, trailing only Rice (14). Defensive coordinators have to account for No. 13 on every play and generally double-team the long-striding star, adding safety help over the top. Evans, a high-point specialist, is adept at executing back-shoulder grabs off fades and is proficient at tracking the football and adjusting. The future Hall of Famer has the physicality to power through jams and uses his length to his advantage.
The Bucs' RAC-artist, Chris Godwin, had his sensational 2024 campaign cut short due to injury. Godwin was placed on injured reserve in October after dislocating his ankle in a Monday Night Football clash with the Baltimore Ravens. At the time of the injury, Godwin led the NFL with 50 receptions and 33 receiving first downs through seven games. He was second in the league with 576 receiving yards and was tied for third with five touchdown receptions. Godwin had reverted to a full-time role in the slot after splitting time out wide in 2023. He worked the middle of the field with ease and became Mayfield's go-to target on third down, moving the chains for Tampa Bay. He is one of the best in the game at catching the ball in traffic then churning upfield. Godwin can do it all, whether jet sweeps, corners, options or crossers, he generates yards with precision and exceptional body control.
Following Godwin's injury, Jalen McMillan emerged as the number-two guy on the depth chart. He developed down the stretch in his first year as the game slowed down for him and he stacked the stat sheet. He hauled in five receptions for 74 yards and a receiving touchdown against the Saints in Week 18, marking his fifth straight game with a receiving touchdown, tied for the second-longest streak by a rookie in NFL history, trailing only Randy Moss (seven games). McMillan's seven touchdowns over his final five games of the 2024 regular season were tied for the most by any Buccaneer over a five-game span in club history, joining Evans and Jimmie Giles. He became the second player to record seven-or-more touchdown catches over a five-game span last season, joining Ja'Marr Chase. McMillan is quick in and out of breaks and knows how to con coverage with stem fakes. The young receiver studies Kyrie Irving's ball handling in the NBA, as well as his shot creation and finishing skills to foster his own craft enhancement. The gleaned insight from Irving's NBA tape has spurred development for McMillan off the line of scrimmage in attacking defensive backs and forcing them to bite on certain calculated maneuvers. In 2025, the staff will likely rotate McMillan between the slot and out wide to maximize his versatile skillset to keep defenses guessing.
Tampa Bay added to the receiver corps in the draft with first-round selection Emeka Egbuka and seventh-rounder Tez Johnson. Most pundits expected the Bucs to go with a defensive player in the first round with the 19th overall pick, but instead, the Bucs took a versatile weapon for Mayfield in Round One. Egbuka can play all three receiver spots – slot, X and Z – and concluded his collegiate career with the most receptions in Ohio State history (205) and the second-most receiving yards. He commands the catch point and is a savvy route runner with an understanding of how to set up defenders. Egbuka exploits voids in coverage and will bolster the receiver room with additional competition. Johnson, a two-year starter at Oregon, finished top-five in program history with 169 career catches. He is effective off screens, verticals and short-to-intermediate routes. Johnson can stick his foot in the ground and accelerate on a dime, hitting top-end speed. His open-field prowess will add another dimension to Grizzard's offense.
2024 fourth-round pick Bucky Irving produced a historical rookie year for Tampa Bay, revitalizing the Bucs' ground attack. He finished the 2024 season as the highest-graded rookie according to Pro Football Focus, which gave him a mark of 90.8. Irving's 37.1% missed tackle percentage led the NFL last season and his 76 missed tackles forced ranked first among rookies. For his contributions on the field, Irving was named a PFWA All-Rookie Team selection, leading the rookie class in scrimmage yards (1,514), rushing yards (1,122) and rushing touchdowns (eight). Irving's franchise record 5.4 yards per rush attempt average is the third-highest mark in NFL history among rookies with 200-plus rush attempts in a season, trailing only Adrian Peterson (5.6 in 2007) and Clinton Portis (5.5 in 2002). His 1,514 yards from scrimmage is the second-most by a rookie in team history, trailing only Doug Martin (1,926 in 2012).
Irving gained an additional 609 yards after forcing missed tackles in 2024, second-most in the league behind only Derrick Henry (753) per Next Gen Stats. He was an assassin on the field, leaving defenders grasping for air. Irving excelled off counter gap runs, quickly accelerating through holes once the puller made contact. He patiently stayed in-phase with pullers and showcased his shifty feet, rare cutting skills, panoramic vision and elite contact balance. Rachaad White and Irving were one of two duos with 1,000-plus total yards from scrimmage each, joining Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. White played 591 snaps (51.75%) and recorded 613 yards and three touchdowns on 144 totes in 2024. He put up 393 receiving yards on 51 receptions, making an impact as a pass-catching back. White is stout in pass protection, picking up blitzers and makes his presence felt in short-yardage and goal-line situations. He has a large catch radius and has a good feel in the open field. Throughout the offseason, White often worked with receivers on position drills and could operate out of various roles in 2025 as a bridge between the run and pass.
At tight end, the Bucs will have continuity in 2025 as Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft and Devin Culp are all under contract. Otton emerged as the primary target for Mayfield in the middle of the 2024 season. In the trio of contests following the 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens via Monday Night Football in which Evans (right hamstring injury) and Godwin (dislocated ankle) were sidelined, Otton stepped up, accumulating 25 catches, 258 yards and three touchdowns. He helped supplement the Bucs' production by running a variety of routes that typically were ran by Godwin, including out-breakers and wheels. When the offense was at its most vulnerable, Otton stepped up as a consistent force. Through Week Eight, Otton ranked third in the NFL in receptions among tight ends (36), sixth in receiving yards (344), and tied for fourth in touchdown catches (3). Durham played 430 snaps (37.65%) in 2024 and Kieft nabbed 104 (9.11%). Both contributed in the run game with blocks and rookie Devin Culp posted 41 snaps (inactive for 13 games). Culp has the speed to push the field vertically and as the game continues to slow down for him, his snap count will increase.
