Bucs Have A New Sideline Reporter
September 9th, 2026
New Bucs sideline reporter.
Corrected: After a three-game trial during the worthless preseason, the Buccaneers Radio Network found a new sideline reporter.
Gone is T.J. Rives, who decided to make a clean break after he was not chosen to succeed Gene Deckerhoff as the voice of the Bucs.
Rives had been the sideline reporter on Buccaneers Radio Network broadcasts for roughly two decades. So this job opening was rare.
Yesterday, when Joe opened the weekly in-season game release email from the Bucs, Joe noticed the listing of the stars of the Buccaneers Radio Network: play-by-play man Tony Castricone, analyst Dave Moore, and sideline reporter Jay Recher.
Later in the day, Recher’s announced it on Instagram.
Recher is a former host on WDAE-AM 620 and was often paired with former Bucs guard Ian Beckles. In recent years, Recher has mostly worked to build up his weekday Tampa Bay sports podcast.
Now, he’s the new sideline voice of the Bucs.
During the worthless preseason, Recher worked two games as sideline reporter and it seems he impressed the Bucs enough to get hired.
Recher is a really, really cool guy and one of the nicest dudes around — despite his weird proclivity with shoes. Dude must have a separate closet loaded with just shoes.
Recher is also a dapper man, always the best-dressed of anyone in the Bucs’ press box, though he might want to dial back the threads if he’s going to have to brave the elements both in Florida on home games and winters when traveling.
Kudos on the new gig, Jay! Look forward to seeing you in the locker room.
(Recher used to needle the Joe typing this here post, that Joe was a football fan, not a sports fan. Recher wasn’t too far off base. Joe used to love all sports but you know what, the older you get, the less time you have for all sports and the less tolerant of nonsense you get. So, yeah, Joe swore off the non-basketball association long ago and, recently, sadly, baseball, which honestly depresses this Joe. The only thing Joe pays attention to anymore is football and college basketball and maybe a little bit of hockey.)
With Recher now working the sidelines instead of being in the press box, Ira Kaufman can now enjoy his pregame meals without Recher bothering him about shoes and Phil Esposito. 🙂
Good luck, Jay!
September 9th, 2026 at 12:04 am
Big congratulations! Known Jay for 18 years.Great guy
September 9th, 2026 at 12:12 am
Congrats Jay! Good hire
September 9th, 2026 at 12:50 am
Congratulations, Jay! 🎉
September 9th, 2026 at 4:58 am
Great hire, congrats to Jay!
September 9th, 2026 at 5:28 am
Awesome news.
And as a side note, Joe it’s good to know as I got older it wasn’t just me. I fondly remember being a huge Magic fan in the Shaq / Penny days. This year I tried really, really hard to enjoy watching an NBA game and just couldn’t do it. Now it’s Bucs and Bolts.
Hell, even college football seems to be on the way out now.
September 9th, 2026 at 5:42 am
Big recher fan. Disappointed when he parted ways with wdae but glad he’s getting well deserved opportunities
September 9th, 2026 at 6:32 am
Marine buc says
This is GOING to set the BUCS sideline reporting for years!!!! This was the DUMBEST HIRE we could have done!!!! He is going to have the broadcast RATINGS the LOWEST they HAVE EVER BEEN for the next 10 YEARS!!!!! You DONT hire A RADIO guy for TV what ARE we doing JUST DUMB!!!!!! YOU All we see the RATINGS decline and I am GOING to SIT back and LAUGH at all of you!!!!!
September 9th, 2026 at 6:50 am
Happy for Jay!!!!
September 9th, 2026 at 7:02 am
^^^ Seems accurate ^^^
September 9th, 2026 at 7:33 am
How could a sideline reporter hurt ratings? They literally talk for just a few minutes a game.
And he’s going to be doing it for radio. The sideline reporter for the games on TV will depend on the channel that’s carrying the game.
Is that a real comment above from Marine or Jeff?
It feels AI posted, just too stupid of a post not to be a pot stirrer move.
September 9th, 2026 at 7:40 am
Congratulations!
I only know him from the local radio airwaves
Happy for him!
Nice side hustle
September 9th, 2026 at 7:44 am
It was a poke at Marine Buc is all, nothing to do with AI or intelligence in general.
Just a nice sarcastic take on the hysteria of some commentators here.
September 9th, 2026 at 7:57 am
Def will not be listing to radio this year….2 guys with no Bucs History and that pull for New York teams.
September 9th, 2026 at 8:01 am
Good for him and well deserved.
September 9th, 2026 at 8:48 am
Not familiar with him but he sounds like a good choice.
September 9th, 2026 at 9:20 am
Good deal for Jay, I listen to he and Ian Beckles because the banter is pretty entertaining. Jay is also a fellow Knicks fan, which means he’s loyal as hell and has probably shouted at a vast amount of tvs over the years.
September 9th, 2026 at 12:23 pm
Congrats, Jay! Really happy for him. As an aside Joe….. while I own several great pairs of dress shoes, boots and really nice leather sneakers… it’s not an addiction…. I CAN QUIT ANY DAMN TIME I WANT TO!
Rob
(Still man crushing on Daniel Craig!)
September 10th, 2026 at 1:37 am
You are correct Joe , in my younger days I could tell you a score in most any sport. Even the NBA or international soccer. Not any longer, now I only keep up with the Bs, BULLDAWGS, BUCCANEERS, are the only ones I truly follow day by day, then the BOLTS , being from the Deep South I am a BOLTS fan not a Hockey fan. I do back the Braves & the RAYS from September until the WS is over. But if I had to choose it’s GEORGIA BULLDAWGS & TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS FOREVER!!!!!