Bucs Apparently Believe They Have A Super Bowl Team
November 5th, 2025
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
As Joe pointed out last night, it appears the Bucs are confident they have the horses to make a Super Bowl run.
Despite a myriad of injuries to critical players that would bring most teams to their knees, the Bucs apparently believe they can still get to Santa Clara in February, and not as a paying customer.
Joe is not here to rag on the Bucs. Joe gets that the team values draft picks above all else. The drafting by Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht this decade bears that out. Hell, they are getting critical snaps from Day 3 draft picks from this spring, Elijah Roberts and Tez Johnson.
However, a comment left on this here corner of the interwebs from a reader last week struck a chord with Joe: “A draft pick next year will not help you win a Super Bowl this year.” That’s spot on. Rarely do teams have a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl run.
Standing on the dock watching the ships go by might be what the Bucs are doing by sitting on their hands this week and not upgrading at the trade deadline.
Joe hates to type the following, but until Joe sees Chris Godwin slicing through defenses the way Godwin did before he had his ankle destroyed, only then will Joe believe Godwin returns.
Same with Mike Evans. We expect him to be in mid-season form after missing two months (or more) the second he steps on the field following having his collarbone wrecked in Detroit?
It’s hard for Joe to wrestle with the thought that a rookie receiver, no matter how good he is, is going to lead the Bucs deep into the playoffs.
And yes, the Bucs expect Calijah Kancey back (hopefully) for the postseason. Again, is Kancey going to be in midseason form the first time he steps on the field?
Back in the playoffs for the 2020 season, Vita Vea returned for the NFC title game after missing most of the season with a messed-up ankle. He played in 46 percent of the defensive snaps (and he was a huge reason Shaq Barrett went nuts that day).
Joe really thought there was an opportunity to help shore up razor-thin areas on the roster due to injuries via trade.
Who knows when the stars next align for the Bucs to be this-close to a real Super Bowl run?
It just seems like a major opportunity lost.
“Hope” is such an empty, evil word.
November 5th, 2025 at 3:55 am
I say again “I believe in Jason Licht”. He’s proven that he knows what he’s doing. Best GM in the NFL. He knows more about the injured players than we do or anyone else. Trades are a crapshoot anyway and yes they can pan out for you. But you pay astronomical money and picks for say Miles Garrett and then he gets hurt and misses the season. You just sold the farm for nothing and you’re future is in doubt too. I want to win this year but they may be better next season. Licht likes to trade during the draft. Go Bucs!!!
November 5th, 2025 at 3:58 am
Eh, we messed up imo….all good. We’ll squeak something by. I dont like it but we couldve done something. I get frustrated sometimes but nothing I can do but post here….sometimes they listen sometimes they dont…all good.
Lots of injuries….we’re not what we started as….and meanwhile, NE is getting strong and so is Carolina…..just being real. Hopefully we’ve got the horses to push through the rest of the season.
November 5th, 2025 at 4:05 am
Seriously, the Bucs think they’re going to get a better player in the draft then Maxx Crosby? LOL, You trade a #1 for Crosby instead of going with the garbage they have. Sorry!
November 5th, 2025 at 4:14 am
a 1st for crosby? nope, sorry…. 4th? maybe….
and i truly think thats what happened….guys were asking too much for a target or two we may have been considering…. so lets not throw Jason under the bus like some of you like to. If the price is too high, you walk away. We know how to draft. And if all of the injuries add up to us not making too much of a run this year, all good, we’ll be there next year….we’ll see.
November 5th, 2025 at 4:19 am
What i see remaining schedule:
L
L
L
W
W
W
L
W
November 5th, 2025 at 4:24 am
Philly operates like they’re all in. I’m generally not a fan of mid season trades. But. With our injuries, I was looking for Phillips and Waddle from Miami. Both guys 26 could have helped this year and in the future. Oh well.
November 5th, 2025 at 4:35 am
Yesterday’s inaction is an example of loyalty to a fault. We are paper thin at receiver, smoke and mirrors at LB AND we still have a real shot at the SB. To do nothing leaves the door wide open for blame should the Bucs come up short this year. Better to go down swinging then leaving your bat on your shoulders.
Let’s go Bucs!!!
November 5th, 2025 at 4:41 am
Bucs are wrong. He’s obsessed with his draft picks, but drafts Chris Braswell in the second round.
November 5th, 2025 at 4:58 am
Braswell is on me, I pushed for him….i didnt realize he would get lazy with the money….they do that sometimes….or they’re just not or will ever be NFL caliber…its the chance you take.
November 5th, 2025 at 5:29 am
lol @ the guy that would offer a 4th for Maxx Crosby. Can’t take you seriously. It’s analogous to the kind of businesses I hate talking to on a meeting. The tire kickers, the trunk slammers. They want to drive a Porsche 911 GT3 RS for the price of a Camry. The audacity of some people is incredible. Don’t walk to the high stakes poker table if you can’t play
November 5th, 2025 at 5:36 am
While i would have liked to see us do something to upgrade before the deadline if you can add Bucky and Luke and hopefully Godwin back to this lineup i feel that is almost like trading for pieces – This team beat the Seahawks on the road not even close to 100% – I like our chances moving forward – Excited to see how we play against the patriots!- Hope yall have a blessed day and as always – GO BUCS!
November 5th, 2025 at 5:50 am
What this team needed was added depth, and solid rotational production. Licht didn’t need to chase the huge sack monsters to do that. There were I think at least 2 previous first round OLB/DE that were traded for cheap before the deadline, gladly would have loved to have seen that move, instead I got fed from another Bucs fan, well, bringing in another DE would stunt the growth of Braswell, wtf?… are we watching the same team? … give me a freaking break. We knew Yaya was going to have potential within his first season. Braswell is a JAG. He was a 3rd stringer coming off that Defense line at Alabama, and Licht took a swing hoping those measurables and pedigree would bear fruit, it hasn’t yet, and to Braswell’s credit, he’s not terrible, I’ve seen some nice tackles and special teams play, but he’s not even the next Anthony Nelson for this team. Another move we could’ve made was a for a RG. There are veteran RGs, that we could have rented for a season, and it wouldn’t have killed our draft picks.
November 5th, 2025 at 6:08 am
Midseason plugins are expensive and don’t always work. Garrett is locker room cancer. Maybe scour the practice squad lists or CFL which are,available after the,Grey Cup.
November 5th, 2025 at 6:19 am
One thing I have not seen addressed is the Bucs culture when people discuss acquiring players via trades. Getting a player who will be part of the team and the community seems to be HUGELY important to the organization.
When the Bucs acquire players via the draft or free agency, they can interview them and make sure they are the right fit. That is virtually impossible to do with a trade.
November 5th, 2025 at 6:22 am
Evans injury isn’t to his lower body- his wheels. So he will come back 100% probably sooner than later. Godwin may be nearing top form and the Bucs are staying quiet about it. This time they may be waiting until he’s 100% to unleash him. The only lasting problems I see is if none of our guards work out or if we have a linebacker injury.
November 5th, 2025 at 6:25 am
You don’t make a deal to make fans happy. You make a deal to improve your team. The Colts won’t win the SB this year but I’m betting that there is a fan site out there ecstatic that they mortgaged their future for the chance. I’m far more aligned with the Bucs strategy of win now, win tomorrow.
November 5th, 2025 at 6:36 am
Trading a 3rd Rounder and a player like Izien for Jordyn Brooks would not have mortgaged the future in any way , but would have brought in the leading tackler in the NFL plus a guy that can cover like LVD used to. There is no credible case that can be made for NOT making that deal.
November 5th, 2025 at 6:37 am
It is what it is. I didnt expect a trade to happen, we have seen how Licht operates either we like it or not. We will see if that was a right move or not by the end of the season.
The only thing I will say is that if we dont make a deep Playoff run I dont want to hear from the team or the fans excuses that injuries hurt the team. We know the injuries and the team decided that no move was neccessary.
Go Bucs
November 5th, 2025 at 6:44 am
Start Nelly and give Reddick Braswells snaps. Sit Bras
November 5th, 2025 at 6:45 am
Jason believes he is a draft away from the SB not a guy away. To many holes to fill. Half the team is injured with half the schedule remaining.
November 5th, 2025 at 6:49 am
Ok let’s kick the tires on this current roster on offense…..Evans, Godwin and Jmac our top 3 receivers are out INDEFINATELY. 2 or more of them are likely to never see the field again this year. We have a first rd starting center who’s getting blown up constantly. Right guard and right tackle have been a nightmare with both starters out, one for the year the other out for months. Our best RB is out until??
What’s not to be confident about?
November 5th, 2025 at 6:49 am
Jason licht failed on this joke big time.
November 5th, 2025 at 6:55 am
It’s not just the draft picks you give up when you make a trade, it’s salary cap flexibility you lose. Bucs had been in salary cap hell the last couple of years, Licht’s not going back there just yet. You build your roster at a cheap price with those day two picks. When you give that up you have to pay old discarded vets. A good example is Green Bay. They thought they had a SB team and gave up two firsts, and a good DT for an edge rusher, they lost at home to the Panthers lol. They thought they were one player away from a SB. They probably won’t win their division, and might not even make the playoffs. That could be us.
November 5th, 2025 at 7:05 am
I am guessing they expect everyone back here soon that’s why they didn’t do anything. Not sure this is even a Super Bowl team but it’s close when healthy. Especially after 1 more draft and a healthy roster.
November 5th, 2025 at 7:08 am
….and the best GM is: Rosen or Licht???
It’s really a simple question to answer.
November 5th, 2025 at 7:12 am
Or it could be “The Bucs made calls and were unable to come to terms on players they thought would help them.” Just because nothing happened doesnt mean we didn’t try to make something happen.
November 5th, 2025 at 7:30 am
OLine has been on thin ice all season. We going to bet with half a season to go we won’t have any more injuries there? if we do we may very well get Panther’s Baker (little known fact – they had a patchy oline for a part of that season with Baker) and that won’t go far in the layoffs.
November 5th, 2025 at 7:31 am
Exactly right Joe, you play for today. Who knows, you may have more injuries next year. A receiver would have been good for the short term and Long term
November 5th, 2025 at 7:39 am
Bucs needed depth at WR, ILB, and OLB. They could have gotten a WR and a LB cheap and didn’t bother. Phillips went for third and if he doesn’t work out, the third pick is returned. Talk about a no risk deal… The guy would have been good in the rotation and good in case of injuries.
I guess we will see if the Bucs are ready for a SB in the next three games. Based on what I have seen so far this season, I highly doubt it, but hope I am wrong. Also, Grizz has really regressed. Hope he brings his A game this Sunday, the Bucs are going to need it.
November 5th, 2025 at 7:47 am
Well without all the injuries…
November 5th, 2025 at 7:53 am
Who yesterday was the player we needed ? All the players yesterday were on bad teams and IMO Teams overpaid ..Meyers for a 4th and 5th for 7 games? Phillips for 7 games for a 3rd rd pick when the guy has never had a productive season. Garrett, Crosby, Chubb, Watt have never been to a SB ..When these DEs started geting QB money it made the teams weaker as you can see by the records.
November 5th, 2025 at 7:58 am
Everyone wanted a quick fix, including Joe.
I suppose there is nothing wrong with that.
I have a different perspective worthy considering.
I have long held the view that you build a good team, then add a couple trades to put them over the edge. But that method backfired for our last Superbowl run, because it left us with a severe cap issue.
And that’s why teams who win SBs usually don’t repeat…with only a couple exceptions.
It’s a formula that gets you a ring…one ring.
I believe Jason Licht wants multiple rings. I believe he wants us to be the next Patriots (when they had Brady) or Kansas City. The key cogs for that are a great QB and sustainability.
Jason Licht has built a very solid team. When healthy, they can beat anyone. The way to build a healthy team is through the draft with quality picks.
When you draft so well that even your late rounders can be great, you do not need trades…you need draft picks.
People her are forgetting a key option: free agents. There are great free agents out there who didn’t get signed because of lingering health issues. From this week on, they will start becoming healthy.
An example of this is Asante. This week he was declared ready to play. He’s a young free agent WR who is a great player. He can be signed to a prove it deal (if he hasn’t already) and prove he can still play, then be a starter for years to come.
I also feel we do have a SB team. When healthy.
November 5th, 2025 at 8:00 am
Girls, time to move on. Trade deadline is long gone.
NBA still has a trade deadline coming up. You can get on the Orlando magic fan site and whine about why LeBron is the cure all and should be traded to the your team ahaha.
Here’s to a strong and healthy second half. Go bucs
November 5th, 2025 at 8:00 am
Max Crosby was never available. Raiders said this repeatedly.
November 5th, 2025 at 8:01 am
MadMax Says:
“Braswell is on me…”
Don’t give up un him just yet. Development is a real thing. What you currently see as lazy could be a learning thing…I’m betting he’ll start to shine.
November 5th, 2025 at 8:03 am
buc4evr Says:
November 5th, 2025 at 7:39 am
Bucs needed depth at WR, ILB, and OLB. They could have gotten a WR and a LB cheap and didn’t bother.”
Depth is still available…as free agents.
November 5th, 2025 at 8:07 am
We have TWELVE starters on rookie contracts right now. Trading away picks eliminates that. What do you think that does to the cap?
November 5th, 2025 at 8:10 am
The Bucs have the most receiving touchdowns by rookies in the NFL at 7.
The number of different players (15) who have had a part in producing the Buccaneers’ 25 sacks through nine games, tied for the most on any team in the NFL. Seven of those 15 have at least 2.0 sacks, which is also tied for most on any team in the league.
Bucs have turned 12 takeaways into 43 points on four touchdowns and five field goals. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay’s offense has only coughed it up five times, leading to 10 points on one touchdown and one field goal.
Chase McLaughlin’s career success rate on field goal attempts of 50-plus yards, the second-highest figure in NFL history among kickers with at least 25 attempts from that distance. McLaughlin is eight for eight from that range in 2025 and 40 of 47 in his career.
Per Buccaneers website
November 5th, 2025 at 8:15 am
It’s 3:00 am in Hawai’i and I wake up to another article 🤣🤣🤣
Someone tell me when thi
these players are coming back. None of them are coming back this week. We will lose out on the #1 seed. We lost to rookie qb in the first round. This is awesome.
November 5th, 2025 at 8:16 am
Closer to the truth would be that Licht knows that this isn’t a Super Bowl team — its obviously not — so there is no point in wasting draft capital.
The ’25 Bucs are a nice upper-middle class team that will struggle to win a playoff game. They are far from elite.
November 5th, 2025 at 8:38 am
Great job Licht!!!!!!
I agree with you!!!!!
We have a homegrown SB TEAM!!!!!
GO BUCS
November 5th, 2025 at 8:42 am
Trades are not guaranteed!!!!!
We could’ve traded for a player and he has a season ended injury in practice lol
WE HAVE A HOMEGROWN SB TEAM!!!!!
GO BUCS
November 5th, 2025 at 9:03 am
Wrong! The presidential diaper half full of sht perspective is way off base!!
This is the wrong message to take away from Licht’s inaction at the trade deadline.
Licht very clearly does not believe this is a superbowl team and it’s a slap in the face to all the players not on the sidelines rehabbing and a big middle finger to the fans. Don’t believe me? Fine. Believe Jason Licht. In 2020 when he thought the team was close enough for a run he swung for the fences. He obviously doesn’t think this team is close enough to take risks. The other factor is Licht is reading too much of the local press overvaluing his draft prowess. He is overrated and really screwed up this time.
Bucs fans and the players deserve better.
November 5th, 2025 at 9:06 am
Apparently people don’t have to capacity to understand that the Bucs would’ve needed to make several trades to make the team a Super Bowl contender. So it was probably best not to make a move.
This team is not a contender this season. They’ll be tough, but they probably won’t sniff the NFC title game. Maybe if they can get guys back and fully healthy to be available next season then maybe the Bucs can be viewed as such.
November 5th, 2025 at 9:07 am
And by the end of ’22 he saw the long term damage done to the team. Look at the Aints, they’re so deep in salary cap hell they won’t be competitive for a decade
November 5th, 2025 at 9:08 am
Draft pick are not guaranteed, ok we when are these players coming back. Color me that. 6-4 after next 3 weeks.
November 5th, 2025 at 9:14 am
My bad 7-4, watching the pat’s, now we can beat them.
We are not, I repeat are not beating the bills up there. I
Know Damn well they are not beating the Rams in LA nope.
November 5th, 2025 at 9:16 am
Buccaneers third in the league in sacks. That is not a team weakness. Right now the offensive line is our weak link. Mauk will be back next year.
November 5th, 2025 at 9:17 am
So many idiots posting here I can’t wrap my brain around it.
How do any of you know that Licht didn’t reach out and at least test the waters? If every team is wanting too much and the risk of not getting enough in return is there, is it really worth doing? We are on the outside looking in. We have no idea what is really happening. Staying pat might have been the best move after all. Was Miami going to just trade Waddle for a six round pick? No they were not. Every possible trade has cap implications, team fit issues and then no idea what the compensation requirements are. Assuming the Licht just didn’t want to bring anybody in and is just thinking our team’s current starting roster is perfect for a super bowl run is pretty ignorant. You all should know by now, unless you’re just jumping on the bandwagon, that this team keeps things tight to the vest. The right deal was there, he probably would have pulled the trigger.
November 5th, 2025 at 9:24 am
Yes, hope is an empty word. But doesn’t it stand to reason that Licht knows more about players’ expected return than he (and for that matter, Bowels) are revealing? If neither Bucky nor Godwin return in the next 3 weeks then yes, Licht failed by not making any moves. All we can do is wait and see.
November 5th, 2025 at 9:48 am
Why not a 1st round pick? It would be a very high pick almost the same as a low 2nd.
November 5th, 2025 at 10:06 am
“A draft pick next year will not help you win a Super Bowl this year.”
Neither will a disgruntled player looking for a contract.
None of the players moved yesterday was a team changer. Anyone think the Cowboys are now going to win the Super Bowl?
Build in the offseason and primarily the draft.
November 5th, 2025 at 10:12 am
“Bucs Apparently Believe They Have A Super Bowl Team”
——–
Good News The table is set. Despite injuries Bowles feels the team is SB ready.
Fair enough.
November 5th, 2025 at 10:45 am
Trades- -yes or no? Who is available? What price? All the babble when realistic Buc fans knew Licht was going to do nothing. And, he did just that.
November 5th, 2025 at 10:55 am
Our only trade bait would be (have been) Dean, but sure as heck we’d get a bunch of injuries right away
November 5th, 2025 at 11:00 am
Hope is not a strategy…
November 5th, 2025 at 11:17 am
The analogy to the 2020 team is seriously flawed. Everybody knew that Brady was not going to be around more than a year or two at most. THAT is the reason Licht made a trade that year- because the window was obviously short. This is a significantly younger team and Baker has several prime years left. I would also suggest that LIcht learned from the cap problems that his 2020 moves created. Lastly, it is impossible (and unhelpful) to promote imagined trade scenarios. Rather than assume that Licht spent the day yesterday polishing the super bowl trophy, I believe his track record suggests that he did his due diligence and that a reasonable deal was not available. Sometimes not doing a deal is better than making a bad deal.
November 5th, 2025 at 12:20 pm
I think it’s the opposite. I think Licht knows or thinks with all these injuries that the Bucs aren’t a realistic superbowl team with 1 more impact player. He’s betting on getting younger cheaper guys through the draft to hopefully help be that superbowl team in the next 1-2 years. Also going to have to pay Baker. Problem is other teams are getting stronger and this could be Evans, Davids, and even Godwins last years here. Hopefully McMillan can play again but that’s a big question mark too. Let’s hope Licht knows what he’s doing. Him and Bowles have benefited from a weak division post Brady.
November 5th, 2025 at 12:21 pm
Bunch of cry babies, including JOE. 2 months. That is how long, the whoever starters, have played, against other elite football players. Yeah, gonna be bumps and bruises, to those that play EVERY GAME. like baker. 6-2. could easily have been 2-6. even the 2 loses were close. After, the bye, EXPECT, cardiac bucs. defense is starting to look good, offense, healed. worst article, I have seen on joebucs, comments even worse. Fire author, And we run the table, rest of season
November 5th, 2025 at 12:26 pm
1, final thought. without Baker, we are probally the saints. MVP? there isnt a question. More, others, have support( not decimated by injuries, so the “valuable”)
November 5th, 2025 at 12:29 pm
Agreed. This is not a SB team so why waste picks. This team has too many issues to go deep in the playoffs. The Oline is just awful. Our Dline has promise; the LBs lack physicality and put fear into no one. So, we will have a 9-8 season. Ok. It could be worse.
November 5th, 2025 at 12:41 pm
omg. richbucs, THAT IS stupidest post EVER. up to rodmunch standards. JOE, while, fairly certain, you are the trolls, to hit comments, STOP the anti bucs. more hits, via positive posts..and comments. easily tracked.
November 5th, 2025 at 1:07 pm
TO EVERYONE WHO AGREES WITH LICHT …
I’m with you. The Bucs didn’t make the playoffs from 2008-2019. We’ve been in the playoffs the last 5 years.
Did you see the Dallas and Indy trades? No thanks.
I like having a winning team – 6-2.
I love winning the NFCS – 5x loading (NFCS Record)
I enjoy playing the playoffs – longest streak in the NFC
November 5th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
Agree 100%.
One of Licht’s few negative traits is that he loves his own picks just a bit too much. I do not think Godwin will be anything close to his former self this season (if ever). And who knows with Evans? J-Mac may not play again this year either.
So 3 of the 4 WRs that were supposed to give us the best WR room in the league may not be available, or will only be a shell of their former selves… how do you know give up a mid or late round pick to help rectify that?
November 5th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
how do you *not*
November 5th, 2025 at 3:01 pm
Either that or they think they are too far away to be making those types of moves because with injuries there are too many holes to plug joe.
November 6th, 2025 at 12:08 am
The rare French existentialism inspired sports article closer…