Buccaneers Reject Notion Of Rebuild Despite Loss Of Tom Brady

The Buccaneers fell out of relevancy once Tom Brady retired, but Tampa Bay doesn't want to be counted out just yet.

The New England Patriots at least had Bill Belichick to lean on when Brady left in 2020, but the Buccaneers are ranked as one of the worst rosters in the league. And they have the worst odds to win the NFC South at FanDuel Sportsbook.

It's an understandable assessment when you have Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask competing for the starting quarterback job, but inside Tampa Bay, it's a confusing outlook.

"It's nuts. We've got a lot of great players still," Tristan Wirfs told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "It's not bad to put a chip on our shoulder, I guess. I've seen the narrative. But we lost one guy."

That "one guy" is a future Hall of Famer. It seems like the Buccaneers might get a rude awakening and remember what life without Brady is like. It's why Tampa Bay could be in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, the 2023 Buccaneers are in it to win.

"Rebuilding? We are just trying to win right now," wide receiver Mike Evans said. "I don't know why people don't see that. Win the division, after that people can take care of themselves."

Brady has committed to his second retirement despite a conspiracy theory from a Buccaneers safety that the team still is trying to recruit Brady. Mayfield and Evans will try to hope that Texas A&M magic is still there, and the latter is trying to maintain his streak of 1,000-yard seasons.

The NFC South isn't the strongest division in the NFL, so they could surprise. However, despite the confidence in training camp, the glory days are gone for Tampa Bay.