There are many former Buccaneers throughout the NFL, and these players have a shot at returning to Tampa Bay before their careers end.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not a team with a great track record of retaining their best players. Tampa Bay has lost Ring of Honor members, Hall of Famers, and other phenomenal players.
Individuals like Steve Young moved on despite being incredibly talented, and other players like Warren Sapp, who were playing at a Hall of Fame level, were allowed to walk away in free agency.
One of the biggest problems with the Buccaneers is that they have a notorious history of letting players walk, who then find massive success with their new team, as explicitly seen with Young.
Since the Bucs have been unsuccessful over the last decade and a half, it is harder to retain players. Even if they’re getting paid, who would want to stay with a team that is doing very little to win?
This stigma has stuck on the Buccaneers for years now, but with the recent changes that have occurred, keeping players on the roster likely got a lot easier.
Having players such as Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski on the roster in conjunction with rising Super Bowl hopes makes Tampa Bay an attractive landing spot for free agents and other players.
Perhaps some of these former Buccaneers still in the league will try to return to Tampa to compete in the playoffs over the next two years.