Tampa Bay Buccaneers Have 'A Lot of Tough Decisions' Coming This Offseason

The Buccaneers have what it takes to continue competing, but coach Todd Bowles knows some hard choices are coming.

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to thrive moving forward they'll have to make some smart decisions that have lasting impacts on the roster.

Who to keep, and who to let leave, are going to be the principal decisions made, and are among those Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles knows are going to challenge him and general manager Jason Licht this offseason.

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“It’s a little early right now. We’re still getting over the game, a little bit. We know we’ve got a lot of decisions to make – some tough ones here and then some outside on the horizon. Hopefully, we can get some better guys in here and continue what we’ve been doing and get better next year and go further.”

Receiver Mike Evans, quarterback Baker Mayfield, and linebacker Lavonte David are just three of the players at the center of crucial decisions coming for Tampa Bay in the next two months specifically.

“I’d love to have him back," Bowles said of David specifically. "He’s one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached. I don’t even look at his age – he plays timeless. He plays timeless football, he plays it the right way, he prepares the right way. He’s the ultimate professional.”

Of course, the question about David returning to the Bucs has a layered question on top of it about whether or not the linebacker even returns to the NFL at all. Retirement is certainly a possibility there.

It's not a possibility for Mayfield who has already stated he'd like to return and wants to keep rolling with Evans as well. But the Buccaneers won't be the only team looking to pay Mayfield this offseason.

“I’m pretty sure he’d be in demand," Bowles said of his quarterback. "Obviously, money plays a lot of part of free agency and loyalty plays a lot of part in free agency, and who actually wants you and where you can go and what you can afford plays a lot, and how you see yourself in certain systems. It’ll be a tricky thing. He was great here, we love him to death. Hopefully, it works out for us.”

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And then, of course, there's Evans who has firmly cemented himself as a franchise legend, even if he ends up leaving the organization.

“I don’t even think about it," Bowles said. "I don’t like to be asked about it. I don’t want to know about it. I hope to hell that does not happen.”

Bowles won't be alone in that reaction, though we're pretty confident Bucs fans will do much more than cringe.

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