In 2021, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the defending Super Bowl champions and the team had a realistic opportunity to defend their title and repeat. Tampa finished the 2020 season with an 11-5 record and a world championship but there were hiccups along the way. 2021 was a different season and the Bucs looked like a different team.
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The 2021 Buccaneers' offense, lead by its passing attack, took the team to another level as the group moved more like a machine than a football team. Tom Brady attempted 109 more passes in 2021 than his debut season, topped 5,300 yards, threw 43 touchdowns, and had just 12 interceptions. The Bucs, looking like a league-wide cheat code, coasted through a large portion of the regular season. Behind a three-headed monster in their receiver room, Tampa exploded to a 10-3 start— Then the calendar flipped to December 19th, 2021.
The Buccaneers had their annual home matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Raymond James Stadium. The game was an ugly one and Tampa Bay lost. The 9-0 score wasn't close to the ugliest part— The true loss was the season-ending injury star receiver Chris Godwin suffered, when he was hit low by P.J. Williams.
Without Godwin in the mix, the Buccaneers had to lean on the third wheel of their receiving corps. The very next week the Bucs took the field with no Mike Evans and no Chris Godwin. The Carolina Panthers were prescribed a heavy dose of Tampa's third option as the Buccaneers turned to Antonio Brown to carry the load. Afterall, this was the “purpose” of having Brown on the team— A Hall of Fame caliber backup. Out went Godwin and Evans, in tagged Brown— a transition that, for at least one week, was as smooth as any Bucs' fan could have hoped for. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tore apart the Sam Darnold/Cam Newton led Carolina Panthers with Brown catching 10 passes on 15 targets. He accounted for 101 yards and Tampa routed Carolina 32-6.
Even in the face of a major injury to a significant contributor, the Buccaneers looked as unstoppable as ever— then Tampa traveled to New Jersey. The Bucs ensuing game against the New York Jets would be a NFL-wide memory. This was the day the Buccaneers lost a commodity that they have truly not yet replaced. On January 2nd, 2022, Antonio Brown would pull the trigger on one of the most historic meltdowns in NFL history. Brown, mid-game (with his offense on the field), refused to sub in— The details of why and what specifically transpired become murky around this point, depending on which side of the story you believe. What was indisputable and became clear to everyone was that he not only refused to go in the game, but left the field entirely. Antonio Brown removed his helmet, discarded his shoulder pads and jogged back to the locker room.
Another angle of AB running off of the field shirtless during a Bucs offensive drive. pic.twitter.com/YWAUvTxHq1
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 2, 2022
The Buccaneers won the game (in epic— Tom Brady plays the role of the counted out hero who saves the day— last-second fashion), but the long-term damage was done. Tampa Bay was only two weeks from the postseason and the deepest position on their team, one of the most statistically impressive receiving corps in NFL history, was now just Mike Evans and company.
The following offseason, no longer in the Antonio Brown business, the Buccaneers made a move for a new player at the position— Russell Gage. Gage was a free agent pickup from the Atlanta Falcons. In his last year with the Falcons, Gage scooped up over 60 catches and 700 yards, making the move seem logical. On the doorstep of the 2022 season, Jason Licht doubled-down, bringing in his second former Falcon of the offseason— Julio Jones. Fresh off a 31-catch campaign with the Tennessee Titans, Jones was a Buc. Mike Evans was back, Chris Godwin was healthy, and the team was loading up on talent behind them (on paper).
Unfortunately, the Buccaneers didn’t check the expiration on the talent they brought in. Both Russell Gage and Julio Jones failed to have any meaningful impact on the field in Tampa Bay, combining for under 1,000 yards.
The 2022 season featured a difficult-to-watch offense with a sleepy passing game. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were still Mike Evans and Chris Godwin— Over 2,000 yards as a duo, however, beyond Tampa's top two targets the team did not put its best foot forward.
Shortly after 2022's disappointing finish, Tom Brady retired, and Baker Mayfield was inserted. Julio Jones exited stage left, but Russell Gage was still under contract and remained onboard. The Buccaneers would also go on to bolster the position in the NFL draft, picking Trey Palmer with their sixth-round selection. The draft pick proved to be foreshadowing, as Russell Gage would never step on the field for the Buccaneers again, missing all of the 2023 season.
Trey Palmer’s rookie’s performance was adequate. Palmer recorded 39 receptions for a little under 400 yards and a handful of scores. To his credit, he did save one of his biggest and best plays of the season for Tampa’s playoff route of the Philadelphia Eagles— a 56-yard score. Even still, Palmer struggled with drops and overall consistency as a rookie and didn’t have the most reassuring debut season.
Knee-deep in the 2024 offseason, Russell Gage’s tenure with the team has offically ended and the Buccaneers have spent another draft pick on a wide receiver. This time around Tampa drafted Jalen McMillan in round three. McMillan projects to compete with and likely beat out Trey Palmer for Tampa's third receiver spot.
Whether it's McMillan or Palmer, once again Mike Evans is back and Chris Godwin will be as well. 2024 marks another season Jason Licht and Buccaneers will be waiting for someone to fill the void left by the man who jogged off the field, peacing-out the NFL fans in attendance on January 2, 2022.
