New England will testify that life after Tom Brady can be tough, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be about to find that out the hard way.

Entering 2022/23, Tampa Bay were amongst the favourites to win a second championship in three years. 

One year later, they have the second-longest odds of any NFC team to lift the Lombardi at +8000. 

Losing the greatest player in NFL history and then having to decide between Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield as to who will replace Brady sums up the Buccaneers’ fall from grace. 

With Tampa Bay also feeling the pinch when it comes to the salary cap, quarterback is not the only glaring need they’ve been unable to address and the outlook is bleak for a team potentially needing to tear it down and start again.

Click here to read all NFL Season Outlooks for the 2023/24 season.

What	NFL 2023/24 season
When	September 8th, 2023 - February 11th, 2024
Buccaneers Odds	To win Super Bowl LVIII +8000, to win the NFC +4000, to win the NFC South +650

Where did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finish last season?

1st NFC South (8-9). Lost in Wild Card round.

What are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' hopes for the season?

Having made the play-offs the last three seasons, winning the NFC South title in two of those campaigns and clinching the Super Bowl in 2020, this year could be quite the comedown for the Bucs. 

The writing was on the wall last year when they snuck into the postseason with a losing record and the situation hasn’t improved since then. 

Being $55million over the salary cap meant the Bucs’ hands were tied in free agency, leaving Tampa Bay left with a roster that still features some big-name talent, but with not a lot in reserve. 

The emphasis in the draft was on improving a defence that was top-15 for yards and points allowed last year. 

As a defensive-minded head coach, Todd Bowles has fallen back on what he knows best, ignoring some glaring issues with the offence. 

Even with Brady in the team, the offence was ranked 25th in points scored per game and is unlikely to improve now that the seven-time Super Bowl champion has left. 

The appointment of Dave Canales as offensive coordinator, a man who has never called plays at the college or NFL level, doesn’t inspire confidence either and the potential is there for this to be the worst offence in the league. 

The Bucs are in need of a rebuild so expect to see some asset stripping if they get off to a slow start and aren’t in playoff contention. 

The Bucs are +360 to make the play-offs this year and +110 to have over 6.5 wins, but with an offence this bad, it's a stretch to imagine Tampa Bay achieving either.

Who are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' opening opponents?

The Buccaneers are on the road in Week One, travelling to Minnesota to take on the NFC North champions Vikings. 

The Vikings lead the all-time head-to-head series 33-22 against the Bucs and are the -290 favourites to come out on top again. 

The Buccaneers are 19-27 all-time in Week One and won at Dallas the last time they started a season on the road. Tampa Bay are +235 to pull off the upset.

When are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' key matchups?

The Buccaneers’ home opener comes in Week Two when they host the Chicago Bears, before the reigning conference champions Philadelphia fly into town the following week for one of only two prime time games for Tampa Bay this year. 

Tampa Bay plays four of its first six games at home, which may prove an advantage given the Florida heat at that time of year. 

The Bucs face New Orleans in Week Four before a very early bye week. Upon returning, Tampa Bay’s long stretch to the finish line will see them face the top three quarterbacks taken in this year’s draft, alongside trips to Buffalo and San Francisco. 

The Bucs end the season with back-to-back divisional games against the Saints and the Panthers.

Who is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach?

Todd Bowles probably used up all the credit he had built up with the Bucs hierarchy for being the defensive co-ordinator and unsung hero of the Bucs' NFL Championship win last season. 

Bowles has demonstrated he can fashion a good defence, but still needs to prove himself when it comes to fixing an offence and faces a tough assignment doing that in Tampa Bay. 

The Bucs have only ever once kept on a head coach after back-to-back losing seasons so Bowles starts the year under pressure. 

With a 32-49 record as an NFL head coach, the signs are ominous for former Jets boss Bowles, who is bidding to avoid a fifth straight losing season as a head coach.

Which players have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed?

QB Baker Mayfield (Los Angeles Rams) 
LG Matt Feiler (Los Angeles Chargers) 
RB Chase Edmonds (Denver Broncos) 
S Ryan Neal (Seattle Seahawks) 
QB John Wolford (Los Angeles Rams) 
IDL Greg Gaines (Los Angeles Rams)

Which players have left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

QB Tom Brady (retired) 
LT Donovan Smith (Kansas City Chiefs) 
RG Shaquille Mason (Houston Texans) 
IDL Akeem Hicks 
RB Leonard Fournette 
IDL William Gholston 
WR Julio Jones 
TE Cameron Brate 
IDL Raheem Nunez-Roches (New York Giants) 
TE Kyle Rudolph CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (Tennessee Titans) 
WR Breshad Perriman 
CB Logan Ryan 
S Mike Edwards (Kansas City Chiefs) 
WR Scott Miller (Atlanta Falcons) 
Edge Carl Nassib 
K Ryan Succop

Who are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' key players?

Offensive MVP	Mike Evans
Defensive MVP	Vita Vea
Top rookie	Cody Mauch (2nd Round)
Breakout star	Rachaad White

Whoever replaces Brady at quarterback, they can’t say they don’t have some top quality wide receivers to aim at in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. 

The latter couldn’t get on the same page as Tom Brady at times last year but still managed 1,124 receiving yards and six touchdowns. 

Evans is potentially over the hill for a wideout now he’s turned 30, but will remain vital to the Bucs. Vita Vea made a sluggish start to last season but ended the campaign looking like the elite nose tackle that he is. 

He led the Bucs' defence in sacks (6.5) last season and will be vital to teaching the youngsters along Tampa Bay’s interior. 

The Bucs offensive line gave Brady little hope of signing off on a high and they’ll need second round pick Cody Mauch to hit the ground running. 

As a former tight end, Mauch is more athletic than most linemen, while he’s packed on plenty of muscle and has a real mean that makes him a formidable opponent in the trenches. 

Rachaad White put up just over 1,000 total yards in his first season as a pro at Tampa Bay and the Bucs are counting on him to build on that promising start. 

With Leonard Fournette out the door and Ke'Shawn Vaughn increasingly looking like a bust, White will be getting a big workload and more opportunities to shine in 2023/24.