Buccaneers Only 19th in NFL Future Power Rankings

The hope of every NFL team every season is to win the Super Bowl.

Of course, for most teams, that is an unrealistic goal. Many teams have to scratch and claw just to make it to the postseason. Only a handful make it to January thought of as true Super Bowl contenders.

Some teams are willing to sacrifice future success in order to load up for one, maybe two, Super Bowl runs. Others make moves that strengthen their future outlook but hurt their ability to compete in the short-term.

The best teams, the ones who consistently hit on draft picks, make shrewd free agent signings, and avoid handing out regrettable contracts, find a way to be contenders year after year.

Others find themselves in a perpetual state of rebuilding. These teams often shell out lots of money to the wrong free agents, draft the wrong quarterback, or hire the wrong coach. 

On Monday, ESPN released its NFL Future Power Rankings. Instead of focusing on how good each team looks this season, a panel of Aaron Schatz, Ben Solak, Louis Riddick, and Seth Walder ranked teams on their outlook for the following three years, covering the 2027-2029 seasons.

Like grades on a test, teams were scored out of 100 on each of their quarterback situation, non-QB roster, coaching, and front office. The four scores were then averaged together into one.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were only 19th out of the 32 NFL teams.

ESPN's grades for the Bucs are as follows: 79.75 for QB (20th), 77 for non-QB roster (16th), 73.5 for coaching (28th), and 84 for front office (4th). The four scores averaged 78.4, the 19th-highest mark in the league.

This is what the four analysts had to say about the Bucs:

"Reason for hope: Young, tentpole players such as LT Tristan Wirfs, RT Luke Goedeke, WR Emeka Egbuka and S Antoine Winfield Jr. carry a lot of the water here for the Buccaneers. General manager Jason Licht has an earned reputation as a strong drafter, and he might have hit again with edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and linebacker Josiah Trotter in the first two rounds this year. -- Solak

"Reason for concern: New season, yet another new OC for QB Baker Mayfield. And there's looming uncertainty as to his future in Tampa. Despite having never missed a game or start in his three seasons with the team, Mayfield has not been offered a long-term contract that satisfies him. This season marks the final year of the deal he signed in March 2024. Add in the hold-in from defensive tackle Vita Vea, and there could be some cracks forming in the Bucs' foundation. -- Riddick

"Nugget to know: In 2025, Tampa Bay threw a league-low 16% of its passes to tight ends. The only tight end with at least five targets, 27-year-old Cade Otton, got a three-year extension in March. The other tight ends are all mostly blockers, as the 2025 Bucs had the highest rushing rate (68%) from 12 personnel in the NFL. -- Schatz

"Bold prediction for 2027-29: Egbuka will not have a top-20 WR fantasy season in any of the three seasons in question. That's pretty contrarian, considering he is a 23-year-old receiver who ranks WR18 in ESPN fantasy drafts. But I'm a little wary of Egbuka because he didn't excel in ESPN's receiver scores as a rookie. Most concerning was his 36 open score (and it wasn't high early in the season, either). -- Walder"

There is a lot to unpack here. 

It's clear that ESPN is not a big believer in Tampa's coaching staff, and why should they be? Todd Bowles is starting the season on the hot seat. He is supposed to be a defensive wizard, but the Bucs' issues over the last several years have mainly been on the defensive side of the ball.

It is a bit strange that ESPN brings up the constant changing of offensive coordinators for Baker Mayfield. Aside from Josh Grizzard, who was fired after his lone season as OC in 2025, Mayfield's first two OCs were Dave Canales and Liam Coen. Both were hired as head coaches after only one season as the Bucs' OC. Coordinators don't get hired as head coaches for doing a bad job.

As for the front office, I'm not sure many would agree they deserve a top-4 ranking. The front office is currently involved in contract standoffs with both the team's offensive and defensive leaders that have gotten ugly at times. Not that any front office should give in and give players whatever they are asking for, but these disputes were easy to see coming, and Tampa's FO waited until the last minute to even start working on them.

Tampa's QB situation being ranked only 20th is likely a result of the uncertainty surrounding Mayfield. That is fair, but if ESPN wants to ding the QB grade for it, they should also ding the front office grade for allowing the uncertainty to blossom.

Tristan Wirfs should have gotten his own paragraph as a "reason for hope." He may be the best tackle in the NFL and was recently said (by ESPN) to be on a Hall of Fame trajectory and was named one of the top franchise cornerstones in the entire league.

It seems like ESPN believes that the Bucs are stuck in NFL purgatory. They aren't expected to be particularly good this year or in the near future.

However, Mayfield believes his team is going to "shock a lot of people" this season.

I believe the Bucs are clearly the best team in the NFC South this season, at least on paper. It is up to the team to prove it on the field, and they haven't exactly been a very trustworthy team lately.

I also believe that this year's rookie class gives Tampa a very bright future. Not only Bain and Trotter, but also WR Ted Hurst, CB Keionte Scott, and DT DeMonte Capehart.

Less than a month to go before Mayfield and the Bucs get their chance to prove all of their doubters wrong.