The 1986 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 11th season in the National Football League playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and their second under head coach Leeman Bennett. The team matched their 2–14 season from 1985, for one of the worst seasons in franchise history, and according to statistics site Football Outsiders, the sixth-worst team in the NFL since 1950.Shepard, Andreas; ‘Historical DVOA Estimates’ ; Football Outsiders There is some sentiment that the 1986 team was even worse than the winless team of 1976,Zier, Patrick. "Future uncertain for Bennett and the Bucs". The Lakeland Ledger. 1 December 1986 and the 473 points conceded was not beaten by any NFL team until the 2001 Indianapolis Colts gave up 486. The Buccaneers selected Bo Jackson with the top pick in the draft, but were unable to convince him to join the team. Three weeks after the draft, Jackson signed a three-year baseball contract with the Kansas City Royals. Despite holding four of the first forty selections in the draft, and the presence of a great influx of fresh talent from defunct USFL teams, the Buccaneers were unable to find any impact players in either the draft or free agency. They entered the season with a roster nearly identical to the previous season's 2–14 team.Harig, Bob. "Changes are few for Bucs". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 1 September 1986
Coach Leeman Bennett treated the season as a rebuilding season, but was disappointed with the team's mental errors and lack of progress.Scanlon, Dick. "Bennett sees no progress". The Lakeland Ledger. 31 August 1986 Later in the season, he would begin to privately admit that the Buccaneers' talent was much worse than he had realized.Mizell, Hubert. "This is a step, but in what direction?" St. Petersburg Times. 30 December 1986 Steve DeBerg won the starting quarterback job after outplaying Steve Young in the preseason, but was benched in favor of Young after struggling in the first two games. Kevin House and Jimmie Giles were released after an October loss to the New Orleans Saints, along with ex-Dallas Cowboys fullback Ron Springs. Bennett showed up at a press conference held after the season by owner Hugh Culverhouse, unaware that the purpose of the press conference was to announce Bennett's firing.Luttermoser, John. "30 Seasons: 1976–2005. From Sinking Ship to World-Class Cruise". St. Petersburg Times. 11 September 2005 Giles, then with the Detroit Lions, criticized the move, saying that no coach could compensate for the Buccaneers' lack of talent. He also claimed that administrator Phil Krueger destroyed team chemistry by demeaning players during contract negotiations, pointing to guard Sean Farrell's disgruntlement as an example.Zier, Patrick. "Giles says Tampa fired wrong man". The Ledger (Lakeland). 30 December 1986
Offseason Defensive end Lee Roy Selmon retired a week before the draft. He missed the entire 1985 season due to a herniated disk, and chose to retire rather than undergo surgery. Although his retirement was expected, the Buccaneers did not seek a replacement in the draft.Associated Press. "Lee Roy Selmon ends NFL career". Penn State Daily Collegian. 24 April 1986 With Mark Cotney and Steve Wilson having retired earlier in the year, Selmon was the last original Buccaneer on the roster.Zier, Patrick. "Another Original Buccaneer is Gone". The Ledger. 9 January 1986Zier, Patrick. "Bucs' Wilson Officially Retires". The Ledger. 7 February 1986
NFL draft Pick Round Player Position College 1 1Bo JacksonRunning backAuburn 25 1Roderick JonesCornerbackSouthern Methodist 28 2Jackie WalkerLinebackerJackson State 40 2Kevin MurphyLinebackerOklahoma 83 4Craig SwoopeCornerbackIllinois1125J.D. MaarleveldOffensive tackleMaryland 165 6Kevin WalkerCornerbackEast Carolina223 9Tommy BarnhardtPunterNorth Carolina25010Benton ReedDefensive endMississippi27911Mark DrenthOffensive tacklePurdue30612Clay MillerGuardMichigan = Pro Bowler= Hall of Famer The Buccaneers received additional picks in the first and second rounds from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for linebacker Hugh Green. Their extra sixth-round pick came from the New England Patriots in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 1987 draft. The second pick in the 12th round came from the San Francisco 49ers in return for the rights to center Jim Leonard. The Buccaneers’ third-round pick was traded to the New Orleans Saints for safety David Greenwood. Their sixth-round pick was traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for defensive end Brison Manor. Their seventh-round pick went to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for wide receiver Perry Tuttle. Their 8th-round pick went to the Rams for defensive back Ivory Sully.
The Bo Jackson draft fiasco Auburn University running back Bo Jackson was selected with the Buccaneers’ first overall pick in the draft, but refused to sign with them. Jackson was angry with the Buccaneers after accepting a private jet ride to attend a team workout caused him to lose his eligibility to play baseball at Auburn. Although NCAA rules allow a professional athlete to compete collegiately in a different sport, stricter Southeastern Conference rules disqualify a professional athlete from competing in any college sports.Wire dispatches. "NCAA rules Jackson ineligible for baseball". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 29 March 1986 Jackson accused the Buccaneers of sabotaging his college baseball career, although Phil Krueger insisted that the SEC had advised them that the flight was allowable, and that it was Jackson himself who had insisted on using a private flight.Looney, Douglas S. "Bo's Not One To Go With the Flow". Sports Illustrated. 14 July 1986 Jackson had been rated as the best running back prospect to come out of college since O. J. Simpson 17 years earlier.United Press International. "Draft takes unexpected defensive turn". The Courier. 29 April 1986 Jackson was said to have ridiculed Tampa Bay's offensive line, and shortly before the baseball draft to have told two teams that he had no intention of playing football. Most teams did not believe him, but the Kansas City Royals, although they were unsure enough that they waited until the fourth round of the Major League Baseball draft to select him. Jackson vowed never to play football again and accepted an offer from the Royals worth much less than what the Buccaneers offered.Harwell, Hoyt. "Bo shuns "bucks", signs with KC". Gainesville Sun. 22 June 1986 The Buccaneers turned down several impressive trade offers for Jackson, including the San Francisco 49ers' offer of Ronnie Lott, Wendell Tyler, and first- and second-round draft picks.Scanlon, Dick. "Bucs may get offer they can't refuse". The Lakeland Ledger. 25 April 1986 Jackson's statements about not playing football were contradictory, as he alternated between stating he didn't want to play at all and between saying he didn't want to play for a terrible team and organization like Tampa Bay. In his book, Jackson recalls a meeting with Al Davis where he said he liked Davis and told the Raider boss he would love to play for them, and that the Raiders made offers for the #1 pick to Tampa Bay that were spurned.
There was speculation that owner Hugh Culverhouse was torn between his promise to make Jackson the highest-paid rookie ever, and his status as a member of the NFL Finance Committee, which obligated him to set a reasonable fiscal precedent for the rest of the league. This resulted in an underwhelming contract offer and produced the perception that the Buccaneers were not serious about signing Jackson.Zier, Patrick. "Jackson's decision still under analysis". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 30 June 1986 Although the Buccaneers offered Jackson $7 million over the five years, half of it was in the form of incentives, annuities, and real estate. The actual salary averaged to over $700,000 per year, still more than twice his yearly salary from the Royals, who gave him a three-year, $1 million contract. Negotiator Phil Krueger said that officials from other NFL teams agreed that the Buccaneers had offered Jackson fair money; however, Jackson also recounted in his book that Culverhouse got angry when he turned out an initial offer and said the Bucs would cut their next offer by 50% if Jackson didn't accept the first contract by the following day. Jackson's Royals contract gave him the option of buying out his contract if he wanted to return to football. Jackson was eligible to be drafted again the next year if not signed by April 28, 1987, which turned out to be the case.Zucco, Tom. "Culverhouse says huge offer still is available to Jackson". St. Petersburg Times. 12 September 1986 Culverhouse announced the embarrassment at a news conference in which he quoted the "keep smiling, keep shining" lyrics of Dionne Warwick's then-current hit song "That's What Friends Are For".Rand, Jonathan. 300 Pounds of Attitude: The Wildest Stories and Craziest Characters the NFL Has Ever Seen. Globe Pequot, 2006. pp.101–102 Jackson became the fourth consecutive Heisman Trophy winner (after USFL players Herschel Walker, Mike Rozier, and Doug Flutie) to spurn the NFL, although he was the first since Pete Dawkins in 1958 to leave football entirely. It was the first time since 1979, when Tom Cousineau signed with the Canadian Football League instead of the Buffalo Bills, that the first overall pick chose not to play in the NFL.Wire report. "Bo Jackson seems set on baseball". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 21 June 1986
Other draft selections Rod Jones was known as a hard hitter and a world-class track star, but was a controversial selection because, coming from the run-heavy Southwest Conference, his pass-coverage skills were unknown. At 5'11", 165 lbs., he was considered undersized for the NFL. Jones was the first defensive back selected, but was rated no better than fifth-best by most scouting services. The Buccaneers were criticized for taking linebacker Jackie Walker with their third pick, when Kevin Murphy of the national champion Oklahoma Sooners was still available. The Buccaneers did eventually draft Murphy, who they were surprised to find still available with their 40th overall selection. Murphy was believed to have fallen due to rumors of a knee injury.Banks, Don. "Murphy has the drive to reach top of the charts". St. Petersburg Times. 13 June 1986 The Buccaneers had rated both Walker and Murphy among the top 15 players in the draft. Craig Swoope was rated as the best safety in the draft, but fell to the fourth round because of a previous charge (and acquittal) of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Swoope was eventually the only Buccaneer to achieve any kind of postseason honors in 1986, being selected to the Football Digest All-Rookie team. The team went for big offensive linemen in the later rounds.Flanagan, Mike. "Bucs' picks make a case for defense". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 30 April 1986 One of them was J.D. Maarleveld, the first cancer patient drafted by the NFL.Reinwald, Pete. "Goodbye and Hello". St. Petersburg Times. 8 September 1986 Maarleveld was considered to have been a second-round talent, but fell all the way to the fifth round. Belief that Maarleveld was worth much more money than the average fifth-rounder caused his agent, Greg Marotta, to advise him to reject the Buccaneers' offer and sign with the USFL Baltimore Stars.Zucco, Tom. "Agent advises Maarleveld to forget Bucs". St. Petersburg Times. 23 July 1986 Maarleveld was eventually able to reach agreement with the Buccaneers.
Preseason
Personnel moves