TAMPA, Fla. — It’s a new era of Tampa Bay Buccaneers football.
Gone is Tom Brady — the legendary quarterback who led the team to three straight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl victory.
Also gone is everything that comes with having Brady in Tampa Bay — the distractions and high expectations.
Brady’s departure might just be a breath of fresh air for the 2023 season.
“I like it better when you get doubted,” Bucs’ defensive back Jamel Dean said. “It puts a chip on your shoulder.”
The oddsmakers set the Bucs win total at 6.5 this season. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs has reason to believe his team can be much better than that. Appearing on the Vikes Verified podcast over the summer, Wirfs predicted 12 wins.
“Just the guys in here we have,” he said. “I know how hard everyone has worked, all the guys this offseason putting in work together. I love everyone in this locker room. We all have each other’s back.”
The Bucs travel to Minnesota for a Week 1 match-up with the heavily favored Vikings. Bucs’ first-year starting quarterback Baker Mayfield relishes that kind of challenge.
“Any time you go on the road, it is a special opportunity, especially in that environment,” Mayfield said. “Their crowd is awesome, stadium is great, and going up against a good team. It’s something about your team, your guys only, in that stadium against theirs.”
When Sunday’s game kicks off, Mayfield will become the first quarterback to start for four different teams in less than two calendar years.
“It is a fresh start, a new organization; they do it extremely well,” he said. “This is a veteran group. We have a lot of new pieces, but there are still a lot of veterans (who) have won a lot of games. For me, it’s to cherish that moment. Take advantage of the opportunity. If I take care of business here, we are going to win a lot of football games.”
