Five Current Buccaneers With Hall of Fame Chances

Canton, Ohio is the ultimate resting place for the greatest players in NFL history. Do the Buccaneers have any players on their current roster with the credentials to make it there?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Pro Football Hall of Fame do not have a rich history together. Lee Roy Selmon, Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp are the only three players to spend the majority of their careers with the Bucs and make it to the Hall of Fame. Ronde Barber, John Lynch, Mike Alstott, and Simeon Rice have all been mentioned in Hall of Fame discussions, but have yet to make it.

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This sour history says a lot about the struggles of the Buccaneer franchise, and proves how important team success can be for a player trying to make the hall. The Bucs’ lone window of sustained success in the late 90s/early 2000’s is reflected in two of their three inductees and the other guys vying to get in.

The current Buccaneers are a team on the rise, with several all-pro talents both entering their prime and already in it. As a team they don’t have any sure-fire Hall of Famers, in the way that the Patriots have a Tom Brady or the Cardinals have a Larry Fitzgerald. They do however have a handful of guys with an argument to make. Let’s take a look at the five candidates who have the most realistic shot.

 Vincent Jackson – Wide Receiver

At 34 years old Vincent Jackson is the oldest player on this list and more than likely the closest to retirement. Jackson is also set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and it’s doubtful he’ll be back with the Buccaneers to close out his career (check out Alan Schechter’s piece on whether Tampa should keep him or not). Still, for the time being he qualifies as a Buccaneer in my mind, and  he is without question one of the very best receivers the franchise has ever had.

Jackson spent seven seasons in San Diego before joining the Bucs in 2012 as a free agent. In five seasons with the Bucs, Jackson accumulated 268 catches, 4326 yards, and 20 touchdowns. Jackson has made his career as a deep-ball specialist, winning down field with his 6’6 frame, strong hands, and exceptional leaping ability; in Jackson’s first season with Tampa he averaged 19 yards per catch and floated above 15 yards per catch in most of his other seasons.

Here’s the kicker for Jackson: Terrell Owens, one of the five most prolific pass catchers in NFL history, was just denied a Hall of Fame spot. That’s extremely disconcerting for a player like Jackson who is great in his own right, but not nearly in the same class as Owens. For Jackson to make a realistic bid, he has to find a way to put together a few more productive seasons, both from a statistical and winning stand-point.

Mike Evans – Receiver 

Is 23 years old too young to be talking Hall of Fame? Probably, yeah. A lot can happen between now and the time Evans hangs up his cleats and the Bucs have had numerous young stars flame out after great starts to their career. Evans is a bit of a different animal, however, in that he’s doing things that few other players, much less Buccaneers, have ever done.

Mike Evans has been a force of nature since the first day he put on that number 13 jersey. As a rookie he put up 68 catches, 1051 yards and 12 touchdowns, despite playing on a very bad offense with very bad quarterback play. His sophomore season with a rookie Jameis Winston saw a dramatic dip in touchdowns and an increase in drops, but still maintained strong catch and yardage marks. Then, last season, Evans exploded into the complete package, combining the pluses from his rookie and sophomore season and eliminating most of the negatives. Oh, and he also had the best play of the entire season, a one handed snag against the Atlanta Falcons.

All that’s holding Mike Evans back from a stronger bid is Father Time. Three seasons is far too early to declare a player Canton bound, but if Evans is able to stay healthy and continue scoring touchdowns with Jameis Winston there’s no reason he can’t have a truly prolific career.

Brent Grimes – Cornerback 

Of all the current Buccaneer defenders, Brent Grimes is the most accomplished to date. At age 33 Grimes has accumulated 30 career interceptions, 124 passes defensed, and 477 combined tackles. Over the course of his 10 year career, the 5’10 cornerback has gained a reputation both as a ball-hawk and a shut down cornerback.

Grimes began his career in Atlanta with the Falcons and quickly became a disruptive force for their secondary and a constant thorn in the side of the Buccaneers who had to face him twice a year. After six seaons and a torn Achilles, Grimes left the Falcons and joined the Dolphins for three seasons where he solidified his status as one of the best cornerbacks in football. Grimes made the pro bowl three straight seasons in Miami and at one point was Pro Football Focuses number two cornerback in the NFL.

Last season Grimes made a six-hour move north to Tampa and joined the Buccaneers on a two year deal. After a down year in his final season with Miami, Grimes bounced back with the Bucs and put together one of the best seasons of his career, notching 4 interceptions, a touchdown, and a league-leading 24 passes defensed. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 4th best corner all season.

Like all of the players on this list, the key missing ingredient for Grimes is playoff success. If he’s able to maintain his high level of play from 2016 for another few seasons while getting some playoff burn there’s a decent chance that Canton comes calling for Brent Grimes.

Lavonte David – Linebacker 

These final two slides are fairly predictable. Since 2012, no player has been more consistent in their contribution to the Bucs than Lavonte David. In five seasons with the Bucs David has missed just two games, and in four out of five of those seasons he registered north of 138 combined tackles. The inglorious nature of a traditional outside linebacker has kept David from winning many accolades (just a one time Pro-Bowler and one time All-Pro) but he has certainly been deserving of more.

Despite playing in several different defenses over the course of his career, Davis has been able to maintain his play-making reputation and has been a jack of all trades for whomever is calling the defensive plays. We’ve seen David make extraordinary, game-changing plays with interceptions, tackles for loss, sacks, forced fumbles and even passes defensed. There is no ground that David hasn’t covered, no play he hasn’t made. In all, David has racked up 10 career interceptions, 18 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, and 664 combined tackles.

At age 27 there is a world of football left in Lavonte David’s NFL career. David’s propensity to fly under the radar could affect his Hall chances when it’s all said and done, but if he continues to be relatively healthy his numbers will stack up with some of the best linebackers to ever play. Combined with some future playoff success, David will be hard for the voters to ignore.

Gerald McCoy – Defensive Tackle 

Who else could be number one?

Since being drafted third overall in 2010, Gerald McCoy has been able to accumulate more accolades and national spotlight than any other Buccaneer. The 28 year old McCoy is a five time Pro Bowler, three time All-Pro, and has more sacks than any defensive tackle since 2012. Last season, McCoy tallied seven sacks, 34 combined tackles and two forced fumbles; Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 10th best tackle on the season.

McCoy’s trademark smile is perhaps the only aspect of him more well-known than his expert burst off the line of scrimmage. Dating back to his days as an Oklahoma Sooner McCoy has had legendary snap anticipation, constantly making a mockery of offensive lineman on his way to the football. For a short time there were whispers that McCoy couldn’t produce in the fourth quarter but he has put those criticisms to rest with game winning sacks, batted passes and hurries.

Gerald McCoy has the stats, the accolades and the reputation to make a compelling case for the Hall of Fame. Like his fellow Buccaneers he needs to add some playoff success to the mix, but more than that he has to be on the field. The only thing that’s held McCoy back in the past is injuries and availability, two things that could derail the continued building of his Hall of Fame resume.

Next: Should Buccaneers Look At Sam Shields?

Which of these Buccaneers do you think have a chance at being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when their opportunity comes? Sound off in the comments below.