TAMPA — For the first time in five years, there will be no postseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And there’s a myriad of reasons why.
What You Need To Know
Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished 2025 season 8-9, missed playoffs
The Bucs had reached the postseason five straight years
On Monday, players packed up their lockers, and shirts, shoes and footballs were placed into trash bags
The Bucs won their season finale Saturday against the Carolina Panthers, but that bought them only a few more hours in the chase for the NFC South title. When the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, it created a three-team logjam with the Bucs, Panthers and Falcons having 8-9 records, with Carolina winning the tiebreakers.
For a Tampa Bay team that won six of its first eight games, it was a huge disappointment.
“I think it was a lot of ups and downs this year. A lot of shuffling around,” said offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs.
Injuries hit the team hard, and the effects showed up in a lengthy losing streak. Nearly every position on the team was hit by injuries, especially on the offensive line.
“There’s 32 teams in this league that are dealing with injuries, so I don’t think you can just pin it on that either,” Wirfs said. “That’s part of the game. Injuries are 100 percent in this league.”
The Bucs were the buzz of the NFL earlier in the season. They got off to a franchise-best 6-2 start. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was in the MVP conversation. Tampa Bay stood atop the league rankings.
And then they lost seven of their last nine games. And they needed help from the New Orleans Saints, which they did not get, to get into the playoffs.
“It wasn’t good. It wasn’t a good feeling,” said wide receiver Jalen McMillan. “Definitely something that I don’t want to experience again. I just want to get with this team and just keep grinding.”
On Monday, players packed up their lockers, and shirts, shoes and footballs were placed into trash bags. The locker room will look a lot different next season. Free agency will claim some players. Retirement may get some others. The coaching staff will also look a lot different.
But that’s what happens when you don’t live up to expectations.
“It’s disappointing we didn’t get in,” said head coach Todd Bowles, who completed his fourth season in the role. “It’s very disappointing, the first time in five years, (to miss the playoffs) so you kind of get used to it a little bit. But we did it to ourselves. We did it to ourselves. So we’ve got to take a deep evaluation, starting with myself, and once I do that, I’ll evaluate the coaches, and players and we’ll go accordingly.”