Bucs’ surprising season leads to higher expectations for 2024

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

That the Bucs‘ 2023 season ended — with disappointment no less — in the third week of January 2024 says a lot.

Sunday’s 31-23 loss to the Lions finished a surprisingly resilient season for Tampa Bay, which exceeded most outside expectations in not only winning a third straight division title, but a playoff game as well.

“Obviously, anything short of the Super Bowl is a disappointment,” coach Todd Bowles said after Sunday’s loss. “We didn’t come in to make noise. We came in to get to the Super Bowl, so from that standpoint, it’s a disappointment. But I’m very proud of the guys, the way they fought all year long, the things they dealt with, the injuries they fought through, the young guys stepping up, the older guys playing above anything they could ever do.”

Had things ended differently, had the Bucs not shut out the Panthers in their regular-season finale to clinch the division title, had they not pulled off a dominating victory over the Eagles in the wild-card round, Bowles might not be back for a third season as head coach. The Bucs might have been looking for a new quarterback as well, but there’s strong mutual interest to bring back Baker Mayfield after a comeback season with career-bests in touchdowns and passing yards.

“I love this group. I said that all year, and that’s authentic. I mean that,” said Mayfield, who spent time with three teams in 2022 before landing with the Bucs last spring. “And so, it would mean a lot for me to bring back a lot of key pieces, to get this back together, and to get it in year two in the system [and] make huge strides. I would love that.

“Who knows how it’s going to play out, but I can’t say enough about this organization for the opportunity they gave me this year, and so just thankful. Hoping it works out.”

Could the Bucs win a fourth straight division title? If they can bring back their key leaders, it’s certainly in play, though a first-place schedule will again present a real challenge. There are four teams left in the playoffs, and the Bucs will face all four in 2024, with home games against the Ravens and 49ers and games at the Lions and Chiefs.

And if there are doubters, the Bucs will welcome those, just as they did this season. Bowles’ message was a consistent one: The Bucs will write their own narrative, not listen to national experts and pundits who wrote them off when Tom Brady retired.

“From day one, Coach Bowles said it: Nobody is going to give us a chance, from the preseason rankings to when I got picked up, and nobody was going to give us a chance,” Mayfield said. “And just everybody’s backs are against the wall and fighting for each other. It wasn’t exactly about the doubters, obviously the motivation does help fuel you, but it was about the self-belief and that’s what this team should be proud of. We weren’t supposed to be here by anybody’s opinion, but we believed in each other and we got here. We fought, and scratched and clawed, and somehow got here. So, obviously, when you don’t win it all it’s always a disappointing season, but this group can be proud of a lot that we did this year.”

Where do Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers go from here?

The Bucs hung around against Detroit on Sunday, with a tie game early in the fourth quarter, and even after the Lions scored twice, the Bucs answered with a Mayfield touchdown to Mike Evans. They got the ball back for one last chance to tie, only to see that end with a Mayfield interception.

This was a Tampa Bay team with so many highs and lows along the way, opening 3-1, losing six of seven, then winning four straight to set up the division title. Mayfield said he not only wants to be back, but he wants Evans, another coveted free agent, back as well. The Bucs will have more salary-cap flexibility, and will need it to bring those two back, as well as All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield and others.

For all the ups and downs, to end the year on a down note was inevitable with any finish but a championship. Still, Bowles is grateful for a year that brought success in appreciable levels for all the Bucs.

“They should be proud of each other for what they fought through and how they came through this season,” Bowles said.

“We’ll reload, we’ll get some rest, we’ll come back next year.”

Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.