The 2020 season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 45th in the National Football League (NFL) and their second under head coach Bruce Arians. The club acquired long-time New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in free agency, and traded for Brady's former Patriots teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski during the offseason. They improved on their 7–9 record from the previous season by finishing 11–5 to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2007, although 10 of their 11 wins were against non-playoff teams. They advanced through the playoffs to reach and win Super Bowl LV. They were the first team only having one Pro Bowler to do so since the 2007 Giants, and the first team to play in and win the Super Bowl in their home stadium, Raymond James Stadium. They were the 7th wild card team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl, as well as the fifth team to win three road games to advance to the Super Bowl, joining the 2010 Green Bay Packers, 2007 New York Giants, 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers, and 1985 New England Patriots. They also became the first team from the NFC South to win the Super Bowl since the New Orleans Saints did in 2009.
The team unveiled new uniforms in April 2020, their first uniform change since 2014. The uniforms are similar in design to the ones they wore from 1997 to 2013.
Season summary The offseason began strong with the team re-signing outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul and defensive end Ndamukong Suh. Pierre-Paul and Suh were re-signed after the team placed the franchise tag on outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, the then-reigning NFL sack leader with 19.5 sacks in 2019. Bringing them back was crucial, as they helped the Buccaneers finish 2019 with the best run defense in the league.
The biggest move was the acquisition of long-time New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. At the conclusion of the 2019 season, 2015 first-round draft pick Jameis Winston arrived at the end of his initial five-year contract, resulting in a period of uncertainty at the quarterback position. The club declined to apply the franchise tag to Winston (instead using it on linebacker Shaquil Barrett), nor the transition tag, which was also available for 2020. It thus became clear that the team planned to part ways with Winston. On March 20, 2020, the team agreed to terms with free agent Brady. The Buccaneers also traded for Brady's former Patriots teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski. They would also sign veterans LeSean McCoy and Leonard Fournette. On October 23, 2020, the Buccaneers signed former All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown, marking his return to the NFL after a one-year hiatus.
With high expectations going into the season, the team nevertheless had various growing pains during the season. The team began the season with a loss at New Orleans on Opening Day. The team rebounded to win their next two games in strong fashion. In Week 4 against the Chargers, The Buccaneers rallied from a 17-point deficit to improve to 3–1. After a somewhat embarrassing loss on Thursday night at Chicago in Week 5, the Buccaneers again bounced back, this time with a commanding 38–10 win over the previously undefeated Packers. In that game, Tampa Bay overcame a 10–0 deficit following Jamel Dean's early pick-six. They followed that with a 45-point showing in a win at Las Vegas, and a close Monday Night win at the Giants, to improve their record to 6–2. The month of November saw Tampa Bay hit a skid, as they lost three out of four games. They were routed at home by New Orleans, then dropped close games against both the Rams and Chiefs. Each of those three teams would make the playoffs. Their 38–3 loss to the Saints in Week 9 would set a record as the worst loss by a Super Bowl champion.
Brady later said that playing behind closed doors because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the NFL made it easier for him to execute his new team's unfamiliar football playbook. With a late season bye week (Week 13), Tampa Bay rested and regrouped, and would not lose another game. The Buccaneers clinched their first winning season since 2016 after a come-from-behind Week 15 win over Atlanta. Despite losing the NFC South division title to rival New Orleans on Christmas Day, the Buccaneers secured a wild card playoff spot the following day with a 47–7 rout over Detroit. It ended the league's second-longest active post-season drought, as Tampa Bay had not reached the playoffs since 2007.
In the Wild Card round, Tampa Bay won their first playoff game since Super Bowl XXXVII, defeating Washington 31–23. They advanced to the Divisional round against the New Orleans Saints, who had swept them in the regular season. Tampa Bay defeated the Saints 30–20 to avenge those losses and advance to the NFC Championship Game. The Buccaneers then beat the top-seeded Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game 31–26 to advance to Super Bowl LV, where they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31–9 for their second Super Bowl title.
To win the Super Bowl, the Buccaneers had to defeat three Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks. In order they beat Drew Brees (XLIV), Aaron Rodgers (XLV), and Patrick Mahomes (LIV). They were the first team in NFL history to play in a Super Bowl in its home stadium and the seventh team to win the Super Bowl as a wild card team. They joined the 1985 Patriots, 2005 Steelers, 2007 Giants, and 2010 Packers as the only NFL teams to win three straight playoff games on the road. The team mimicked the 2002 team by also defeating the top-ranked offense in the Super Bowl, and forcing multiple turnovers in the Super Bowl.
Head coach Bruce Arians became the oldest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl while assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust and assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar became the first female coaches in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. The Buccaneers also joined the Baltimore Ravens as the only franchises to currently be undefeated in multiple Super Bowl appearances, and now have the most titles of any team in the NFC South. Quarterback Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl ring, later revealing that he played the entire season with a torn MCL.
The Buccaneers defense, somewhat maligned over the previous several seasons, improved in several categories. In total yards allowed, they improved from 15th in the league the previous season to 6th. In 2017 they had ranked last. In passing yards allowed, they improved from 30th in 2019 to 21st. In total points allowed, they improved from 29th in 2019 to 8th. They also flipped the turnover margin from –13 in 2019 to +8 in 2020.
Several franchise records were set during the regular season. Tom Brady threw a Buccaneers record 40 touchdown passes, while Mike Evans had a record 13 receiving touchdowns. Evans became the first wide receiver in NFL history with 1,000+ yards receiving in each of his first seven seasons. Brady posted the best season passer rating (102.2) in team history, and also tallied the most games with four or more touchdown passes (4). The team set a new high for most points scored (492) and most total touchdowns (59). Kicker Ryan Succop set a team record for most points by an individual player during a single season with 136. The team also set a club record with eight consecutive overall wins (and ultimately extended the streak to 10 in 2021).
Roster changes
Free agency The Buccaneers entered free agency with the following:
Unrestricted PositionPlayer2020 teamDate signedContractOLBSam AchoFSAndrew AdamsTampa Bay BuccaneersMarch 24, 20201 year, $1.01 millionDTBeau AllenNew England PatriotsMarch 20, 20202 years, $8 millionTEAntony AuclairTampa Bay BuccaneersMarch 16, 20201 year, amount TBARBPeyton BarberWashington RedskinsMarch 26, 20202 years, $3 millionOLBShaquil BarrettTampa Bay BuccaneersMarch 16, 2020Franchise tagged for 1 year, $15.8 millionTDemar DotsonDenver BroncosAugust 11, 2020QBBlaine GabbertTampa Bay BuccaneersApril 2, 20201 year, amount TBATJerald Hawkins Pittsburgh Steelers September 16, 2020, 1 year, $750,000TMichael LiedtkeWashington RedskinsMay 9, 20201 year, amount TBAWRJaydon MickensTampa Bay BuccaneersMay/June, 20201 year, amount TBAILBKevin MinterTampa Bay BuccaneersMarch 25, 20201 year. $1.18 millionWRBryant MitchellTampa Bay BuccaneersMarch 19, 20201 year, amount TBAOLBCarl NassibLas Vegas RaidersMarch 27, 20203 years, $25 millionDERakeem Nuñez-RochesTampa Bay BuccaneersMarch 20, 20201 year, $2.25 millionOLBJason Pierre-PaulTampa Bay BuccaneersMarch 17, 2020 2 years, $27 millionWRBreshad PerrimanNew York JetsApril 1, 20201 year, $8 millionCBRyan SmithTampa Bay BuccaneersMarch 30, 20201 year, $1.75 millionSSDarian StewartSSOrion StewartDENdamukong SuhTampa Bay BuccaneersMarch 26, 20201 year, $8 millionGEarl WatfordTJosh WellsTampa Bay BuccaneersMay 5, 20201 year, $910,000QBJameis WinstonNew Orleans SaintsApril 28, 20201 year, $1.1 million
Signings PositionPlayerPrevious teamDate signedContractQBTom BradyNew England PatriotsMarch 20, 20202 years, $50 millionTJoe HaegIndianapolis ColtsMarch 21, 20201 year, $2.3 millionRBLeSean McCoyKansas City ChiefsJuly 30, 20201 year, $1 millionRBLeonard FournetteJacksonville JaguarsSeptember 6, 20201 year, $3.5 millionWRAntonio BrownNoneOctober 27, 20201 year, $1.25 million Indicates that the player was a free agent at the end of his respective team's season.
Trades Player/picks acquired From Date traded Players/picks traded SourceNT Steve McLendon7th-round pick New York Jets October 18, 2020 2022 compensatory 6th-round pick TE Rob Gronkowski7th-round pick New England Patriots April 21, 2020 2020 compensatory 4th-round pick (139th overall)
NFL draft
Draft trades The Buccaneers traded their 2020 first-round and 2020 fourth-round selections to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for San Francisco's 2020 first-round (via Indianapolis) and 2020 seventh-round selections. The Buccaneers traded their 2020 seventh-round selection and wide receiver DeSean Jackson to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Philadelphia's sixth-round 2019 selection.
Undrafted free agents 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Undrafted Free Agents Player Position College Notes Michael Divinity LB LSU Cam Gill LB Wagner Javon Hagan S Ohio John Hurst WR West Georgia Travis Jonsen WR Montana State Nick Leverett G Rice John Molchon G Boise State Parnell Motley CB Oklahoma Josh Pearson WR Jacksonville State Nasir Player LB East Tennessee State Benning Potoa'e NT Washington Zach Shackelford C Texas Reid Sinnett QB San Diego
Staff
Final roster
Preseason The Buccaneers' preseason schedule was announced on May 7, but was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Week Date Opponent Venue Result 1 at Pittsburgh Steelers Heinz Field Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2 Jacksonville Jaguars Raymond James Stadium 3 Tennessee Titans Raymond James Stadium 4 at Cleveland Browns FirstEnergy Stadium
Regular season
Schedule The Buccaneers' 2020 schedule was announced on May 7.