The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their second franchise Super Bowl after the 2020 season, thanks in large part to the play of legendary quarterback Tom Brady and his supporting staff that included tight end Rob Gronkowski.
It was one of the more memorable seasons in Bucs history, obviously, and they players and coaches who were a part of it remember it fondly.
To say it was "fun" would probably be an understatement. One of those players involved was tight end Cameron Brate.
Brate was an undrafted free agent from Harvard who spent all nine of his NFL seasons in Tampa Bay and is still involved with the organization.
Brate brought some light to the 2022 season, two years after the Super Bowl triumph, and Brady's last in the league. The Harvard product spoke on the Green Light podcast and indicated the team was pretty much done.
"That was not a very fun year for the Buccaneers," said Brate while speaking with Gronkowski. "That year, like I think everyone got done with that year, and the building was like, ‘Alright, I’m done with football.’"
The Bucs won the division for the second straight year in 2022, but it was with an 8-9 record. They were bounced by the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 in the Wild Card round.
It was Todd Bowles' first year as head coach after Bruce Arians "retired" before the season, with some players still displaying loyalty to Arians.
It was certainly a forgettable season based on some recent success of the team. It was also the season before Baker Mayfield took over under center for Brady.
While Brady's final season in Tampa Bay might not have been the best, it ushered in the Baker Mayfield era. And that's been pretty good.
