Tom Brady Changes Everything for the Bucs

Signing the best QB in football history changes every dynamic for Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't been relevant on the NFL's national stage in years. They haven't won a playoff game since Super Bowl XXXVII, and they've only had one winning season in the last decade.

Prime-time games have been rare, and playoff chances even more scarce in recent years.

That all changed back in March, when the Bucs signed Tom Brady in free agency. His arrival, as well as the trade that reunited him with tight end Rob Gronkowski, has the Bucs at the center of the national conversation in the NFL.

They've also landed five prime-time games for the 2020 season, tied for the most in the league.

That means the Bucs have gone from NFL afterthought to perceived Super Bowl contender somewhat overnight, despite having a solid supporting cast on both sides of the ball. Inconsistency on defense and turnovers on offense have kept Tampa Bay from contending for the playoffs in recent years, but the addition of Brady has immediate made Tampa Bay a playoff favorite.

As NFL Network's Peter Schrager says, Brady has changed the entire landscape for the Bucs heading into the 2020 season:

"Brady changes the @Buccaneers in ways that don't involve X's and O's. He immediately makes young guys like Vea, David, and Devin White household names. To go from a team with 0 primetime games on ESPN, FOX, or NBC to a team with 5 - is a huge deal for everyone else." - @PSchrags pic.twitter.com/Kdsh6PKx3V

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) May 12, 2020

The Bucs now have high expectations to live up to, and there are sure to be many doubters who wonder whether or not Brady can transform a franchise with such a rich history of disappointment. 

But for now, all signs point toward the Bucs having tons of opportunities to establish themselves as legitimate playoff contenders and Super Bowl hopefuls, with a chance to stick themselves in the national conversation for the foreseeable future.