4 unforgettable Buccaneers that only spent one year in Tampa

Another kicker for the Buccaneers?

Matt Gay, kicker, 2019

Matt Gay goes down in history as the likely second-worst draft pick in franchise history. This draft pick took some of the heat off of Aguayo, but Bucs fans were furious at the notion that the team hadn’t learned from their prior mistakes.

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Gay struggled from day one on his arrival in Tampa, similar to Aguayo, and the fanbase was ready to call for Jason Licht’s head on more than one occasion.

While everyone points to Tom Brady as the real difference-maker in Tampa, a consistent kicker likely makes a much more significant difference than most people would expect. Gay was terrible in his first season, and the Bucs lost plenty of games on his leg. A sub-500 team was likely in playoff contention with a slightly better kicker, and the Bucs still couldn’t find that with another draft pick.

Gay had a tiny bit more slack than Aguayo, coming into training camp after year one in competition for the starting job, but the inability to make kicks when the pressure was on will always mar the memory of Matt Gay in Tampa.

Here’s to hoping that the Buccaneers never, ever draft a kicker again. At this point, it should be a fireable offense.

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