“Now Take Your Medicine”
October 8th, 2026
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
They mulled it over during the offseason and decided to take one last shot.
They missed.
Team Glazer members.
For the Glazers and GM Jason Licht, it was deemed too early for a full rebuild. After all, the Bucs were only one year removed from a 10-win season and Baker Mayfield was theoretically entering his prime.
Let’s give this thing one more try, they figured. Heck, all those injuries caught up with us down the stretch in 2025. We still have a competitive roster, so let’s add Alex Anzalone, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, A’Shawn Robinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad to shore up a ravaged defense.
All four of those free agents are now 31 or older, so that gives you some insight into what the front office was thinking heading into this season. The people who sign the checks and sign the free agents believed this franchise had one more run left to erase the stink of a 2-7 collapse.
In that spirit, Todd Bowles was given one more chance to take the Bucs deep into the playoffs.
Guess who didn’t go along with the plan? Instead of finishing his career in Tampa Bay, Mike Evans ran a fade route to San Francisco. While Evans is now playing for the unbeaten 49ers, the Bucs are the NFC’s only winless team.
Maybe his family was a factor. Maybe Evans didn’t like the direction of the franchise.
Either way, his absence is felt on a weekly basis.
Given the 0-4 start heading into Dallas on a short week, things have changed drastically at One Buc Place. As a result, the team’s blueprint for success must also change.
It seems inevitable the head coach won’t be back in 2027. Licht should also be under scrutiny.
He had no quality veteran backup QB to make a few plays and win a game like Sunday’s drab loss to a mediocre Green Bay team. He signed off on new deals for Mayfield and Vita Vea that suddenly look questionable. The pass rush talent remains subpar.
The rest of the league has sailed past the Bucs, who are still seeking their initial victory, along with the Texans, Chargers, Dolphins and Titans.
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has done nothing to suggest he’ll be an enticing head coach candidate for any NFL club. Heading into a QB-rich draft, the Bucs are now attached to Mayfield for the near future. The same Mayfield who hasn’t played winning football since the middle of last season.
Most alarmingly, Licht’s pride and joy, the offensive line, lacks physicality at the point of attack. Collectively, Tristan Wirfs, Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, Cody Mauch and Luke Goedeke haven’t missed a single snap through four weeks.
Not one.
They have, however, missed an array of blocks for an offense that has scored all of six touchdowns. The Bucs haven’t played with a lead since Week 2 and have been limited to one TD and three field goals in the opening quarter.
Chris Godwin should be on the trade market with other Bucs veterans, says Ira Kaufman.
At this point, the Bucs should be aggressively shopping veterans like Vea and Chris Godwin, perhaps even Antoine Winfield Jr. Licht loves accumulating extra draft picks and this is the time to horde resources. Hard decisions have to be made for a soft team that has lost its way.
The Bucs find themselves in last place in a lousy division. That’s the harsh reality confronting an ownership group that has hit the reset button before.
Fans will stick with you if they see a strategy for long-term success. What they won’t do is support an organization that won’t adjust to a new NFL order.
It’s time to take a step back and find a new road.
First, admit your mistakes. Realize what everyone else seems to know — this is not a good football team. Play the long game and find your way back to relevance.
If it takes a few years, so be it. You took your shot. Now take your medicine.
October 8th, 2026 at 11:41 am
hoard
October 8th, 2026 at 11:42 am
very good article Ira – tells it like it is
October 8th, 2026 at 11:44 am
Great article Ira, I agree with everything you said. Preach brother!
October 8th, 2026 at 11:48 am
Well said Ira. The pirate ship has no captain and is adrift at sea. Let’s tow it back in, strip it down, and start fresh.
The owners made a decision and set sail. A poor decision seen by most. Let’s start from scratch.
October 8th, 2026 at 11:48 am
I’m so sick and tired of “the talent is sub par”.
Bullcrap! The DL is made up of 2 first rounders in Vita and Kancey, a 2nd rounder in Robinson. The edge has YaYa, Walker, Bain and Mohammed.
The problem isn’t a lack of talent, it’s a lack of coaching and most importantly scheme.
Let the new coaching staff decide who has talent and who doesn’t.
October 8th, 2026 at 11:53 am
I still don’t understand how we can call the pass rush talent subpar.
We don’t even know! The previous article is about Bowles refusal to prioritize it and develop guys to get to the QB.
The talent could be subpar or Bowles scheme makes it look worse than it is. Could be both things, but again, how are we to know? It’s another reason Bowles should have been launched 2 seasons ago.
You can’t point to 2020 cause aside from Vita, those were all veteran guys developed elsewhere and it’s been documented that Suh was free lancing, probably free lancing all of them.
It’s also been documented that a rusher needs reps to set up the OL across from him. Get a feel for how he’s moving, tire him out then put on the moves later in the game to get the QB. Can’t do that when you drop in coverage 1/3 of the time.
October 8th, 2026 at 11:56 am
“Heading into a QB-rich draft, the Bucs are now attached to Mayfield for the near future. The same Mayfield who hasn’t played winning football since the middle of last season.”
*1st third of last season and Bakers’ presence/pay shouldn’t stop us from coming out of the 2027 draft with a QB who, we’d be able to sit until it’s time to pull the cord on the Midfield experience.
Jayden Maiavia, Austin Simmons, hell even if the Riola kid comes out I’d consider him too. Few other QBs I’m on the fence about, but we need someone who performs with more presence from the pocket and can actually attack defenses on a consistent basis w/o needing a 6’5″ future HOFer you can just say “eff it” and throw it to downfield.
I see a ton of Bucs fan lusting after Jeremiah Smith, whilst EE has *check notes* 15 catches for 154 yards and a solitary score in 4 games. Which, wanting another high-caliber WR when we can barely get the one we have the ball is weird as hell to me.
October 8th, 2026 at 11:58 am
Ira … ‘At this point, the Bucs should be aggressively shopping veterans like Vea and Chris Godwin, perhaps even Antoine Winfield’.
OK so I get that you’ve completely given up on the season, but ‘aggressively shopping veterans’ who are all grossly overpaid isn’t gonna solve our problems. No team is gonna give us a high draft pick for any of those 3 players, much less pick up their full salary.
We dug a hole then, jumped in, then filled it in, with concrete. Our coaching staff obviously has no answers, and needs to be replaced. But unfortunately, probably not until the end of the season (no Knights in Shining Armor are gonna ride in to save us). We’ve got a number of too old, too highly paid veterans who aren’t providing quality leadership AND who aren’t playing well. And just about all of them also need to be replaced. But unfortunately not until it’s financially viable to do so.
Yup, we dug a nice hole.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:02 pm
Ira,
I can probably agree with most of your thoughts here. However, no disrepect to ME, but I do not think things would have been any different even if Mike Evans would have remained here. A receiver can’t accomplish anything unless the QB can ger the ball to him. Tampa bay has a group of quality receivers. What really aggravates me, is how uninspiring Zac Robinson’s offense has been. I was rrally hoping he would have been more successful.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:03 pm
The Glazer family has a history of failing upwards. Malcolm and G.H.W. Bush’s Zapata Corp was the start of it all. The NFL is a perfect place for bad business people. Income is predictable and guaranteed (TV revenue). Franchises are golden assets. Take a look at some of the owners throughout the years. The current 49’ers owner comes to mind. Until a football oriented quality business person owns this franchise the fans can expect the same nonsense over and over again.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:03 pm
I love the poetry of that last line. “You took your shot. Now take your medicine.” I am a lifelong Buccaneers fan, but can’t stand to watch this team. Todd Bowles is a broken record and has been for several years. “We have to coach it better. We have to play better.” Nothing will change unless the head coach demands it, and he hasn’t and won’t. He accepts mediocrity and a half hearted effort. I would love to see a player get yanked off the field when they make a bone-headed play or commit a penalty due to a mental error. But it won’t happen. I wish BA were back. He told it like it was and got the most out of his coaches and his players. Players want to perform well. They want to be coached. They want to be pushed. At least the good ones do.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:22 pm
But, IRA…..Joe says Light is Ring of Honor.
Thank you for calling it as you see it. Unlike Licht, you are no yes man.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
This proves they were right to retain Bowles. Not everyone is good at accepting humiliation. Bowles is great at it.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
When drafting the GM needs to remember this isn’t Madden. There are times you swing on project players, but most of the time, consider the scheme your coach runs before drafting.
You can’t draft a LT and move him to C. Draft a 4-3 DE and move him to 3-4 OLB. Draft an undersized LB and move him to S.
“Hey guys, you remember that time Graham Barton was a Freshman at Duke, and the two starting centers got hurt, and he stepped up and played 6 games there?”
“Yes sir, but the next two years he took all his snaps at LT and was an ACC All-American.”
“I like him as a center. And we need one. So tell Todd he’s a center now.”
And then the laundry list of undersized career 4-3 defensive ends… These guys were DE/DT players in a 4-3 and now you’re asking them to learn a complex 3-4 scheme in a position they weren’t playing.
Btw, Todd’s a stubborn old cuss, he’s gonna call his defense no matter who is out there, so you’ll be asked to cover a RB and TE fairly often. Ruben Bain better learn how to use the strafe button like Anthony Nelson.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:47 pm
The Bucs do have some talent on the roster, a majority were on a roster that went 10-7 and had one of the top offenses. A better head coach and staff wouldn’t be winless, see what Canales and Coen are doing. It seems likely the Bucs will pick high in the draft. IMO they should trade down for extra picks. A QB rich draft should have a good QB available later, but when have Bucs *ever* developed a QB they drafted? Never. Buc’s offensive success has only been with FA QBs. Also, wtf trusts Licht on the draft anymore? He’s had too many whiffs. Need to clean house… new GM, new offensive-mind HC, move on ( trade for picks if possible) some older and higher-paid players.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:51 pm
“Take your medicine” – new mantra for this years team
October 8th, 2026 at 12:54 pm
One solution that hasn’t been tried. Before we blow it all up, maybe we should find out if a change at head coach might be able to get a hell of a lot more from this roster, as presently constructed, with some selective additions and subtractions. People have been belly aching about Bowles forever. If they are right that he is the problem, why blow the roster up. A new coach, preferably an offensive minded one, might do wonders. Maybe all that is needed is a change in mindset. It could be as simple as that. Licht has made some good picks for the last 3 years and most of them are already contributing. Build on that. If the departure of Evans has created this huge void, then that void has to be filled.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:55 pm
A turnaround doesn’t have to take 3 years or more!
October 8th, 2026 at 1:07 pm
I don’t want Gas Licht ever making another pick again.
October 8th, 2026 at 1:10 pm
“You can’t draft a LT and move him to C. Draft a 4-3 DE and move him to 3-4 OLB. Draft an undersized LB and move him to S.”
You absolutely can and it happens all around the NFL every single year.
Zack Martin, Brandon Schreef, Mitch Morse and a few others all played tackle in college but moved to the interior as pros. Ryan Jensen played tackle in college, won an SB anchoring our OL as a center and also played guard in Baltimore.
The logic behind that, is that tackles are usually the better athletes in college and if they can play well on the ends of the OL, then they can transition to playing on the interior. Not even close to our biggest issue as of today.
October 8th, 2026 at 1:10 pm
Nice to see a vested and respected media member NOT take the company line. Refreshing Ira. Thank you
October 8th, 2026 at 1:17 pm
There are teams that have been tearing it down forever seemingly and where has it gotten them. When’s the last time the Rams, 49ers, Ravens etc have torn it all down completely? Look at the Seahawks, they were still competitive with Pete Carroll, but lost their edge. McDonald comes in and wins a Super Bowl in his second year. That was a re-set, not a rebuild. Also, not to diminish Darnold, but it wasn’t all because they signed him.
Total blowups invite lost decades!
October 8th, 2026 at 1:21 pm
I agree with possibly trading some of the vets you mentioned, but if they do that they have to can Licht also. His draft success rate is not very good. Just look at all his 1st and 2nd round picks since he has been in charge. It’s bleak.If you take away the Brady pickup in which Brady himself brought Gronk and Brown in. Licht really has a well below average win loss record.
October 8th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
Evans got caught with his hand in the Honey Jar …The reason he left is out there ..lol
October 8th, 2026 at 1:50 pm
The GM brings the talent to training camp and the decides who he wants to be on his 53 man roster. Todd Bowles choose Jalon Daniels as the better player, Jason Licht didn’t force Bowles that’s ridiculous.
October 8th, 2026 at 1:55 pm
One note: Vea’s new contract makes him basically untradeable this year due to the guaranteed money (unless you want to be next year’s version of this year’s Miami Dolphins and have half your salary cap going to players NOT on the roster). And there is no team looking for a 30+ year old receiver who has suffered multiple knee injuries on a 20M contract. In fact, as the ultimate evidence that Licht has failed at his job, name a player, who is not on a rookie contract, that has any actual trade value when the JL negotiated contract is attached? Maybe Wirfs, due to position scarcity? Anyone else?
October 8th, 2026 at 2:01 pm
Who have we drafted on the last 3 or 4 drafts that should get a big second contract? That tells you where the roster is. There are very few young players on this roster that would fetch a big FA contract if they were available.
October 8th, 2026 at 2:01 pm
@SK, I don’t think that ME would make this team better. But doing the things to keep ME around, like replacing the head coach for someone more disciplined and hiring an OC whose 1 year of play-calling history got his last coach fired. (And that was with first rounders at QB, RB, WR, and TE). ME left because he could see what was coming even if JL and the Glazers couldn’t. Thus keeping ME would have meant other decisions being made, and those would have likely made this team better.
October 8th, 2026 at 2:04 pm
Ira…always a professional and always on point.
Realizing you can’t be overly critical of certain folks who keep score…allow me.
Licht’s recent track record is abysmal. High dollar, free agent busts like Reddick and Anzalone not only stunk…but cost a lot of salary cap cash.
Caving into VV when he should have been sent home and/or traded was foolhardy. To think he extended him at a huge salary is staggering.
The Baker situation is already troubling. A great signing at $5 million for a prove it season. A reasonable signing at 3 years/$100 million is acceptable. This $55 million per thru 2029 is franchise crippling.
No proven coach or anyone with other options will want to come to Tampa’s work under Licht. He’s built a top heavy roster of past their prime players…oftentimes in hopes of remaining buddies with them.
Licht’s Out in 2026!
Licht House < Out House
October 8th, 2026 at 2:10 pm
@Oscar,
Seattle is an interesting analogy that you brought up. They were competitive with Carroll, but they also recognized their ceiling and thus made the decision to move on before the team needed to be blown up. We had that chance last year to recognize that Bowles was competitive in the NFC South, but his ceiling was reached and we could have done a smooth transition, like Seattle did, but instead, we either were afraid to act (no risk it, no biscuit) or simply lacked the leadership in house to recognize that Bowles wasn’t making us better. And now we’ll have to blow the whole thing up.
October 8th, 2026 at 2:11 pm
It’s hilarious how Bowles was touting how great things will be with Zach Robinson, since he has experience. They made him sound like the second coming of Sean McVeigh.
But some of us looked at his performance with Atlanta, and thought, hmm. And Atlanta fans warned Bucs fans what was coming.
October 8th, 2026 at 2:14 pm
Nope. Joe doesn’t think there is a coach in the NFL who doesn’t have final say on his 53-man roster. That’s almost always written into their contracts.
A GM could decide what 90 players to bring in for training camp. A GM could offer input into players when the roster is whittled down to 53. But Joe doesn’t know any coach who doesn’t have final say over who is on his roster.
An owner might squeeze a weak coach to keep a certain player (Jerry Jones) but the Glazers are not that strong-handed. Not even close. For example: Remember: Bob Kraft wanted to keep Tom Brady but Belichick didn’t.
If there was a player on the roster Bowles didn’t want, he’d be cut before the season began. And those types of players are bubble guys, not starters.
October 8th, 2026 at 2:14 pm
Just think the last five years, they wasted many of their core players prime years. Fir what mid to below mid. What a waste. The guy should have been ousted after the Commandos playoff loss. It was easy to see Todd didn’t have it.
October 8th, 2026 at 2:17 pm
@ Warren Brooks, I agree with the O-Line transitions. Its relatively common for college Tackles to slide inside. But that doesn’t work defensively. Taking 4-3 DEs in college and making them be 3-4 OLBs who drop into coverage 30-40% of snaps has not worked for Todd Bowles. Its the reason I’ve been saying that Bain would be terrible this year regardless of how much hype the national media gave him or how much praise Licht received for drafting him. That said, Bain will look fantastic next year as a DE in McDermott’s 4-3 defense.
October 8th, 2026 at 2:38 pm
Fire Sale!!!!
October 8th, 2026 at 2:40 pm
This feels like one of those typical buc prime time games except we usually arrive thinking our team is good before they get curb stomped in front of a national audience. If history is any indicator, this game, and the Bucs season will be over before the the end of the third quarter!
October 8th, 2026 at 2:49 pm
If the offensive coordinator knew what the hell he was doing this team would be better. He is terrible calling playings
October 8th, 2026 at 2:49 pm
They might find a decent market for Godwin and save on some Cap. Licht made sure old, out of shape, part time, Vea is untradeable without sizable dead money. Same for Winfield.
October 8th, 2026 at 2:52 pm
“That said, Bain will look fantastic next year as a DE in McDermott’s 4-3 defense.”
Sir, McDermotts’ entire tenure in Buffalo they ran a 4-2-5 60% of the time at it’s lowest rate of usage to 90% of the time at it’s highest rate of usage. His usage of a base look never went higher than 20% of the time his entire tenure in Buffalo.
All NFL defenses are hybridized, so this whole 3-4 vs. 4-3 stuff that’s constantly brought up here doesn’t even matter. You guys split hairs every time you do this and it’s tired talking point. Fact is, you want players that can thrive when you put them in position and it’s not like we don’t have examples of this past and present.
David Walker for example, is so much of a technician as a pass rusher that it doesn’t matter if it’s a 4-3 look(which we have run this season against Cleveland with Voss as the 3rd ILB to spy Watson) or our 3-4 which actually puts 5 defenders on the LOS. Problem is, every single snap isn’t a pass so the instance to where you need him to set the edge and/or contain aren’t strengths of his game, yet.
The defense Bain came from at UofM is closer to what we do and what McDermott did, because nobody is using a 3rd ILB over a 3rd CB in the modern NFL and that’s just facts.
October 8th, 2026 at 3:13 pm
Great article Ira. But how long before Ira’s access card no longer gets him into One Buc Place?
October 8th, 2026 at 3:20 pm
Excellent article, Ira. I think you articulated all of the issues perfectly. I really believe Mike Evans, having the broad experience of playing on losing teams and Super Bowl caliber teams, knew this team wasn’t going to be anything special.
I’m a Baker Mayfield fan, but I think it was a mistake to give him a new contract and I said as much when it happened. Congrats to him and Vita Vea, but a part of me wonders if they were given contracts by Jason Licht as a means to shoehorn the Glazers to keeping him around another couple of years.
October 8th, 2026 at 3:21 pm
I guarantee that a Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, or even Steve Spagnuolo could figure out how to rush the passer with these players. The problem comes down to coaching. The next HC better be just a bit tougher and believe in pressure, on both sides of the ball.
October 8th, 2026 at 3:25 pm
WBL is right about that. Disguise is what our QB and OLine is seeing. And these guys have seen alot of football disguise and camouflage. We fans are supposed to recognize defensive alignment when the pros still get confused?
There are now hybrid defensive players, and hybrid alignments ( we play zone and man together all the time.)
What we as fans do see is sloppy tackling.Soft coverage. Failure to swarm to the ball and bad angles and slow play.
Our defense still could use several more studs. But we should continue getting better as the season progresses. When this offense starts hitting we should start winning games. Regularly. We ain’t dead yet and I ain’t whistling Dixie!
October 8th, 2026 at 3:36 pm
On the money Ira but we have the scariest GM in the league and rarely does he make moves that need to be made in season that are right for the team which is why he is made for the Glazers
October 8th, 2026 at 5:47 pm
This year? Its a…BUC LIFE BABYyyyy!!