The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter the 2026 season with plenty of uncertainty, and our staff predictions reflect it.
Tampa Bay finished 8-9 in 2025 after a 6-2 start, losing seven of its final nine games and missing out on the NFC South title through a tiebreaker. The Bucs scored 380 points but allowed 411, finished 3-3 inside the division and went just 1-4 over their final five games.
There is reason for optimism, particularly after Baker Mayfield signed an extension that gives Tampa Bay stability at quarterback. Mayfield has become the unquestioned leader of the offense and gives the Bucs a proven veteran to build around. But much of that optimism could disappear quickly if the defensive backfield struggles. Questions in the secondary remain one of the team’s biggest concerns, and against a schedule featuring several dangerous passing attacks, breakdowns on the back end could turn winnable games into losses.
That makes the range of predictions from our staff interesting. Evan has the Bucs finishing 8-9, an exact repeat of last season. Mike sees a slight improvement at 9-8, while Will is the most optimistic of the group at 10-7. I’m on the other end, predicting a 7-10 finish.
Collectively, that puts our average prediction at exactly 8.5 wins and 8.5 losses — essentially a .500 football team.
Tampa Bay’s schedule could make separating from that middle difficult. The Bucs open on the road against Cincinnati before playing three straight home games against Cleveland, Minnesota and Green Bay. Later matchups with Detroit, Baltimore, the Chargers and Rams add more potential hurdles.
For Tampa Bay, turning close games into wins may determine whether Will looks prophetic or my prediction proves closer to reality.