John Romano: The Buccaneers did not just come up short in 2025, they went in reverse

John Romano, Tampa Bay Times on Jan 5, 2026

Published in Football

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TAMPA, Fla. — The upcoming Super Bowl is officially out of reach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That’s the bad news.

And if you are inclined to look into the distance, the next Super Bowl is already fading from view.

That feels like a gut punch.

Throughout the rebuilding, reshaping and rebranding of the Tampa Bay roster, there was always the sense that the team was moving in the right direction. The Bucs were getting younger, but they were getting sturdier. The payroll was lower, but the vibe was feistier.

The Bucs might have been an eight- or nine- or 10-win team, but it seemed like they were on the verge of doing something grand. They had drafted well, they had found a quarterback and they had regained a needed sense of momentum.

Regrettably, that’s all come to a crashing halt in the past two months.

That’s what I kept thinking about as Todd Bowles held his final news conference of the season Monday. It was bound to be a somber affair — that’s inevitable when you lose seven of your final nine games to fall out of first place — but I was more struck by the lack of answers or self-reflection.

Maybe it was just Bowles being tight-lipped before meeting with his coaching staff and the team’s owners later this week. Maybe it’s just part of his well-earned reputation for being low-key and discreet. But I did not hear a single detailed explanation for what went wrong or how it will be fixed.

And, coupled with a reexamination of the roster, that’s a scary thought for the future.

It’s possible that I’m overreacting, but it’s as if the roster has been held up to the light and suddenly there are more imperfections than you initially thought.

Just think about the issues the Bucs need to address before returning to training camp in six months:

— The pass rush was atrocious. Not just ineffective, but embarrassing. Take away blitzes from the secondary and inside linebackers, and Tampa Bay’s defensive line finished with 24 1/2 sacks. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett had 23 by himself.

— Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis were among the lowest-rated pair of inside linebackers in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

— Jamel Dean was Tampa Bay’s best cornerback and he’s a free agent.

— Coming off his second major injury in three seasons, Chris Godwin averaged less yards per game, less yards per catch, less first downs per reception and less touchdowns per reception than his career averages.

— The defense gave up more points than any other team in the NFC South, which is kind of like having the most hideous-looking mutt in an ugly dog contest.

— Receiver Mike Evans had the first major injury of his career, turned 32, is a free agent and might be considering retirement.

— Quarterback Baker Mayfield seemed to wear down as the season went on and saw his numbers drop across the board from his first two seasons in Tampa Bay.

— Offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard presided over a seven-point drop in production on the scoreboard from 2024, and failed to get a vote of confidence from Bowles on Monday.

That seems to be a lot of potential problems that need to be addressed for a team that is drafting at No. 15 and hasn’t shown much inclination to seriously pursue free agents in recent seasons.

More than that, the Bucs have lost their arrogance. Their swagger. It’s incredibly telling that one of the reasons they signed Jason Pierre-Paul off his couch in December was to provide a little juice in the locker room.

Think back a half-dozen years to the spring of 2020. Tampa Bay was coming off a 7-9 season, but there was a sense of purpose around One Buc Place. Turnovers and takeaways were identified as the problems of the previous season and the Bucs were aggressive in making changes.

Tom Brady was signed. Rob Gronkowski was acquired. Leonard Fournette was signed. Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. were drafted. And, beyond the personnel, the outlook had changed.

Bruce Arians had brought an aura of confidence and accountability in 2019, and then Brady kicked it into overdrive in 2020. Arians was not guaranteeing a Super Bowl appearance before that season, but he also wasn’t shy about suggesting it was a real possibility.

That kind of swagger was nowhere to be found on the sideline in the past two months.

And it certainly didn’t make an appearance as players cleared out their lockers and Bowles offered explanations Monday.

The Bucs did not just come up short in 2025, they somehow went backward.

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