The 2021 season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 46th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their third and final season under head coach Bruce Arians. They entered the season as defending Super Bowl champions and were attempting to become the first club to win consecutive Super Bowls since the team's quarterback Tom Brady did so with New England in XXXVIII and XXXIX along with being the first NFC club to do so since the Dallas Cowboys did in 1992 and 1993. They entered the season riding a franchise record eight consecutive wins (including regular season and playoffs), which they extended to ten wins until they lost against the Rams.This was the first of four consecutive NFC South titles for the Buccaneers. After their Week 16 win over Carolina, the Buccaneers clinched the NFC South division for the first time since 2007. Tampa Bay won a franchise record 13 games in the regular season. In Week 18, they secured the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs, then defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 31–15 in the Wild Card Round, notching postseason wins in consecutive seasons for the first time. However, their title defense came to an end with a 30–27 last-second loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round.
The Buccaneers became the first team in the NFL's salary cap era to have all 22 starters from their Super Bowl championship team re-signed or under contract for the upcoming season. During the regular season, quarterback Tom Brady in addition to extending several ongoing records, set new individual NFL records for most career starts, most career passing yards, most career pass completions, and became the first player to achieve 600 career touchdown passes. A rash of injuries, however, put several starters on injured reserve, including Chris Godwin and Richard Sherman. In addition, key weapons Rob Gronkowski, Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette, Lavonte David, and Tristan Wirfs and others, all missed playing time dealing with various injuries. Then in Week 17, Antonio Brown abruptly quit the team mid-game in a high-publicized incident.
Following the season on February 1, 2022, quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the league. Brady had one season remaining on his contract with the Buccaneers. However, on March 13, he retracted his retirement plans, and announced he would return in 2022. Head coach Bruce Arians also announced his retirement following the season and shifted to a Senior Football Consultant. It was also the 2nd with Rob Gronkowski on the roster as well as his 11th and final season of his NFL career, as he announced his retirement for a second time on June 21, 2022, via an Instagram post.
Offseason Free agents Position Player Tag Outcome Date Notes Ref S UFA Philadelphia Eagles March 18 1-year deal worth $1.1M TE UFA Houston Texans April 7 1-year deal worth $1.1M RB UFA OLB UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 17 4-year deal worth $72M WR UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers May 25 1-year deal worth $6.25M ILB UFA ILB RFA CB UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers April 13 1-year deal worth $990K LB UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 12 2-year deal worth $25M RB UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 26 1-year deal worth $3.25M QB UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers May 5 1-year deal worth $2.5M WR UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 9 Franchise tag worth $15.9M QB UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers April 20 1-year deal worth $1.212M TE UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 22 1-year deal worth $8M OT UFA Pittsburgh Steelers March 21 2-year deal worth $4.6M TE ERFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 9 1-year deal worth $920K DE ERFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 9 1-year deal worth $850K RB UFA RB UFARetired NT UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers April 14 1-year deal worth $1.075M ILB UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 20 1-year deal worth $1.2M NT UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 20 2-year deal worth $5M DE ERFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 8 1-year deal worth $920K CB UFA Los Angeles Chargers March 31 1-year deal worth $1.5M G RFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 17 1-year deal worth $1M and roster bonus of $250K K UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 17 3-year deal worth $12M DE UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 24 1-year deal worth $9M LS ERFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 9 1-year deal worth $850K T UFA Tampa Bay Buccaneers March 25 1-year deal worth $1.1M Player re-signed by the Buccaneers Player not re-signed by the Buccaneers
Signings PositionPlayerPrevious teamDate signedContractRBGiovani BernardCincinnati BengalsApril 14, 20211 year, $1.2MCBRichard ShermanSan Francisco 49ersSeptember 29, 20211 year, $2.25M Indicates that the player was a free agent at the end of his respective team's season.
Draft
2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft Round Selection Player Position College Notes 1 32 Joe Tryon-Shoyinka OLB Washington 2 64 Kyle Trask QB Florida 3 95 Robert Hainsey OT Notre Dame 4 129 Jaelon Darden WR North Texas from Seattle 5 176 K. J. Britt ILB Auburn 7 251 Chris Wilcox CB BYU from Pittsburgh 259 Grant Stuard OLB Houston Notes The Buccaneers were awarded a compensatory selection in the sixth round (217th overall). The Buccaneers traded a sixth-round selection (216th overall) to Pittsburgh for offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins and a seventh-round selection (251st overall). The Buccaneers traded their fourth-round (137th overall) and sixth-round (compensatory/217th overall) selections to Seattle for a fourth-round selection (129th overall)
Staff
Final roster
Preseason Tampa Bay's preseason schedule was announced on May 12. With the expansion of the regular season, the preseason was reduced from four to three games. Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 Cincinnati Bengals L 14–19 0–1 Raymond James Stadium Recap 2 Tennessee Titans L 3–34 0–2 Raymond James Stadium Recap 3 at Houston Texans W 23–16 1–2 NRG Stadium Recap
Regular season Schedule The Buccaneers' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12. As defending Super Bowl champions, the Buccaneers hosted the 2021 NFL Kickoff Game at Raymond James Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys.
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 9 Dallas Cowboys W 31–29 1–0 Raymond James Stadium Recap 2 September 19 Atlanta Falcons W 48–25 2–0 Raymond James Stadium Recap 3 September 26 at Los Angeles Rams L 24–34 2–1 SoFi Stadium Recap 4 October 3 at New England Patriots W 19–17 3–1 Gillette Stadium Recap 5 October 10 Miami Dolphins W 45–17 4–1 Raymond James Stadium Recap 6 at Philadelphia Eagles W 28–22 5–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 7 October 24 Chicago Bears W 38–3 6–1 Raymond James Stadium Recap 8 October 31 at New Orleans Saints L 27–36 6–2 Caesars Superdome Recap 9 Bye 10 November 14 at Washington Football Team L 19–29 6–3 FedExField Recap 11 New York Giants W 30–10 7–3 Raymond James Stadium Recap 12 November 28 at Indianapolis Colts W 38–31 8–3 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 13 December 5 at Atlanta Falcons W 30–17 9–3 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap 14 December 12 Buffalo Bills W 33–27 10–3 Raymond James Stadium Recap 15 December 19 New Orleans Saints L 0–9 10–4 Raymond James Stadium Recap 16 December 26 at Carolina Panthers W 32–6 11–4 Bank of America Stadium Recap 17 January 2 at New York Jets W 28–24 12–4 MetLife Stadium Recap 18 January 9 Carolina Panthers W 41–17 13–4 Raymond James Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: vs. Dallas Cowboys NFL Kickoff Game
Tampa Bay hosted Dallas in the Thursday night Kickoff Game. The Buccaneers overcame four turnovers to defeat the Cowboys 31–29. Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 379 yards and four touchdown passes in his NFL record 300th career regular season start. During pregame ceremonies, the Buccaneers unveiled new stadium decorations celebrating their victories in Super Bowl XXXVII and Super Bowl LV.
Tampa Bay received the opening kickoff, but went three-and-out to start the game. Bradley Pinion executed a coffin corner punt, pinning the Cowboys back at their own 2-yard line. Tampa Bay got the ball back after a Dallas punt. Tom Brady connected with passes to Mike Evans, Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown, and capped off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin for a 7–0 early lead.
Tampa Bay broke a 7–7 tie with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Gronkowski. The drive was set up after a long punt return by Jaydon Mickens. Dallas trimmed the score to 14–13 after a touchdown from Dak Prescott to Amari Cooper. Tom Brady's first interception of the night led to a Cowboys field goal. But on their next drive, Brady connected with a wide open Antonio Brown for a 47-yard touchdown, and a 21–16 halftime lead.
The Cowboys opened up the second half with a lengthy field goal drive, to make the score 21–19. Carlton Davis intercepted Dak Prescott, which set up Gronkowski's second touchdown catch. But the Cowboys responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in a 21-yard touchdown catch by Amari Cooper, his second of the day as well.
Tampa Bay clung to a 28–26 lead entering the fourth quarter. With 5:04 left, the Buccaneers were driving at the Dallas 13-yard line. Brady's short pass to Chris Godwin was caught but subsequently fumbled at the 2-yard line and recovered by the Cowboys. The Cowboys drove down the field for a 48-yard go-ahead field goal by Greg Zuerlein. With only one timeout left, trailing 29–28 with 1:24 remaining in regulation, Brady drove the Buccaneers 57 yards in eleven plays, down to the Cowboys 18-yard line. Ryan Succop kicked a game-winning 36-yard field goal with 7 seconds left. The Buccaneers extended their franchise-record winning streak (including postseason) to 9 games.
Two of Brady's touchdown passes were to Rob Gronkowski, bringing the duo's career total to 100 touchdown connections in the regular season and playoffs combined.
Week 2: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 276 yards and 5 touchdown passes (tying a franchise best) as Tampa Bay defeated Atlanta 48–25. The Buccaneers extended their franchise record winning streak to ten games, and became the first NFL team to score 30+ points in a victorious performance in nine consecutive games.
The Buccaneers won the coin toss and elected to receive. With potential rain in the forecast for the second half, coach Bruce Arians indicated he wanted the offense to hit the field first. Tampa Bay built a 14–0 lead in the first half after two touchdown passes to Rob Gronkowski. A touchdown pass to Mike Evans late in the second quarter set Tampa Bay up for a 21–10 lead.
Atlanta received the kickoff for the second half. On the second play of the third quarter, Matt Ryan was intercepted by Shaquil Barrett, setting the Buccaneers up at the Atlanta 18-yard line. Five plays later, Evans caught his second touchdown pass, and Tampa Bay pulled out to a 28–10 lead. Atlanta rallied, scoring two touchdowns and trimmed the deficit to 28–25 by the end of the third quarter.
Tampa Bay pinned the Falcons back at their own 4-yard line. The defense forced a three-and-out, and the resulting punt gave the Buccaneers excellent field position. Brady threw three straight passes, and Chris Godwin's touchdown grab put the Buccaneers up 35–25 with 9 minutes left in regulation. The Buccaneers defense sealed the game as Mike Edwards twice picked off Matt Ryan and returned both interceptions for touchdowns.
Week 3: at Los Angeles Rams
Tampa Bay snapped a ten-game winning streak, losing their first game of the 2021 season at the Los Angeles Rams. Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 432 yards, one touchdown pass, and ran for a touchdown, but the Buccaneers defense could not contain Matthew Stafford and the high-powered Rams offense. Despite the loss, Brady became the second player in NFL history to pass for over 80,000 career yards.