The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had divisional success over the past three years with head coach Todd Bowles, but the team would like to be more successful in the playoffs.
The Bucs have won one playoff game in Bowles’ tenure as head coach, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 during the divisional round and then being defeated in the Wild Card Round in 2022 and 2024. Despite that, the Bucs retain their entire offense and are looking to add some playmakers on defense in the 2025 NFL Draft, and they could be poised to make a Super Bowl run with the talent they have while their window is open.
According to Pro Football Focus, though, that may not be the case at all. PFF recently released an article on Friday going over 10 teams they believe have an open Super Bowl window — and interestingly enough, the Buccaneers weren’t listed.
There are four NFC teams listed on the list — the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams. Three of those four teams went to the playoffs and won more than one game, but the San Francisco 49ers went 6-11 and missed out.
The Buccaneers, on paper, could have the roster to be Super Bowl contenders. They will have the entire offense returning from last year, including Baker Mayfield, who threw 41 touchdowns, and wide receiver Chris Godwin, who was one of the most sought-after free agents this year. The defense is set to get some new talent in the NFL Draft, which could shore up multiple positions of need like edge rusher, cornerback, linebacker and safety, and the team also signed Haason Reddick in the offseason to add a dynamic rusher to the team.
That being said, Tampa Bay has fallen into slumps the last two years under Todd Bowles’ tenure and has had to dig its way out of them, and the Bucs can’t afford to do that to be a real Super Bowl contender. Bowles has won one more game each year as head coach, but he’s kept the NFC South close every year he’s coached, and unless he can run away with it in a weaker division, Tampa Bay may not be fit for a championship run.
As far as the Bucs are concerned, their window is wide open. And they’ll do their best to maximize it once the NFL Draft comes around next week.
