The Buccaneers, at 6-2 through eight weeks, seemed to be destined to win their fifth straight NFC South crown, and to make it to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Then, the roof fell in.
They went 2-7 down the stretch and ended up among the 20 non-playoff teams for 2025. Linebacker Lavonte David recently reflected on the collapse.
“To be honest with you, I think it’s embarrassing,” David told the Caps Off podcast, via JoeBucsFan.com. “You know what I’m saying? We had ample amount of opportunities to be able to clinch our division. We lost to the Dolphins. We lost to the Saints. We lost to Carolina at their home. If we would have won one of those games, we would have made the playoffs, which is crazy and insane to think about. Like after all that, losing all those games, we still had an opportunity to make the playoffs.
“We controlled our own destiny and we kind of like shit the bed.”
We agree, with one exception: They didn’t “kind of like” do it.
David, as an impending free agent, will have to decide whether to stick around, or whether to move on. (He said during the same podcast interview that he’s “undecided” about retirement.)
The Buccaneers have talent. But something was missing. The organization decided that a coaching change wasn’t needed; however, offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard got the heave-ho after one season in Tampa Bay.
The pressure will be on coach Todd Bowles in 2026. In a division that remains fairly wide open, there’s no reason the Buccaneers can’t re-establish themselves as the best of the four teams. If they don’t, things could change significantly for 2027.
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