When Tom Brady officially retired, the fate of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moving into the future was seriously in question. However, the franchise took a shot at Baker Mayfield and revitalized his career as a franchise quarterback. Now, they’re perennial playoff contenders, with the offense around Mayfield and the wide receiving duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin consistently among the best across the league.
However, to reach the mountaintop of the Super Bowl, the defense needs some improvement. This offseason, that was a clear priority for the franchise, as evidenced by their moves in free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. But the work for the summer might not be over, as one analyst pegs them to potentially land a superstar defender on the trade market.
Could the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Land the Shock of the Summer?
Last year, the Bucs had a top-three offense on PFSN’s Offense+ metric, even with Godwin and Evans both missing time during the year. Their health, combined with the addition of first-round pick Emeka Egbuka, could raise their offensive ceiling even higher.
However, the defense, which finished in the bottom half of the league on PFSN’s Defense+ metric, needed some significant improvements. Additions of Haason Reddick and Anthony Walker Jr. were a step in the right direction.
That focus continued in the draft as well, as they made excellent selections in the form of Benjamin Morrison, Jacob Parrish, and David Walker. However, the official website for the NFL believes another move could be the final piece to put them over the top.
Eric Edhom made the case for Tampa Bay to have an excellent offense. However, in his list of potential trade destinations for Micah Parsons, the Buccaneers were high up there. One of the most productive edge rushers since coming into the league in 2021, Parsons is potentially headed for an ugly exit from the Dallas Cowboys.
After tallying 12 or more sacks in each of his first four seasons, while earning a Pro Bowl each year, the Cowboys are yet to extend the superstar defender. For comparison, seven players from his and next year’s draft have already signed their first extension.
I’m bored, here’s 9 minutes worth of Micah Parsons highlights from 2023 pic.twitter.com/7XGpOtSxRM
— FergSZN (@FergSZN) June 24, 2024
But with franchise owner and general manager Jerry Jones wrongfully criticizing his talent publicly, it has soured the relationship between the player and the organization. As a result, Parsons made his trade demand and confirmed that he had handed the request directly to Stephen Jones.
For Edhom, this is a chance for Tampa Bay to truly emerge as a Super Bowl contender. “You could absolutely make room for Parsons on this defense, and he’d instantly add some real juice to a pass rush that went stale too often last season.”
Additionally, he wasn’t fully sold on the Reddick addition after he registered just one sack in 10 games last year. The pieces are in place for the Bucs to make a move, and Edhom believes history supports his argument about Tampa’s decision-making.
“The Bucs appear to have the salary cap flexibility to take on a massive contract, and they might be closer to title contention than some realize. The last time they were this close, the Bucs swung a trade for Rob Gronkowski to help his buddy Tom Brady. As long as the odds would be to land Parsons, the seismic effect might be even greater.”
By no means is a Parsons trade inevitable. However, if there is a genuine chance he gets moved, then the Buccaneers should absolutely try to place themselves at the front of the line to add a defensive superstar to round out their team.
