Buccaneers showed right mentality with Hall of Famer in 2021
By Rob Leeds
Considering the past few years for the Buccaneers, it was almost surprising that future Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald didn’t join the team.
While it may not be great from a future standpoint for the Buccaneers, adding all of these Hall of Fame players after their prime is a fun way to bring even more excitement to game days.
Sure, guys like LeSean McCoy and Richard Sherman only played small roles with the team, but their presence on the roster after most fans have watched them play for years is an interesting feeling as a Bucs fan.
Guys like Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Antonio Brown (prior to his departure), were huge additions that some saw as past their prime, but their coming to Tampa had an undeniable impact on making that magical Super Bowl happen.
It looks like the Bucs thought they could get the same impact from Larry Fitzgerald last season.
Bruce Arians clearly had the same idea that most Bucs fans did when Chris Godwin went down with an injury and Antonio Brown ceased to be a Buccaneer: let’s bring in Fitzgerald as a depth option that obviously deserves a chance to win a ring with a great team.
Bruce Arians said on @AZSports radio that he asked Larry Fitzgerald if he'd join the #Bucs for their playoff run after Chris Godwin tore his ACL.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 6, 2022
Fitz politely declined, saying he couldn't even run two plays right now.
Arians coached Fitz in AZ. Him & Brady would've been cool.
Arians was clear that Fitzgerald shot the idea down, but this move at least shows the desire by the organization to avoid mediocrity.
It’s not like Fitzgerald would’ve been a major game-changer or anything of the sort, but the Bucs saw a need and went after one of the best options on the market in their eyes. This is not something that the teams of old would’ve done, and it was nice to see getting better was a focus even at the end of the season.
This mentality has been prevalent ever since Tom Brady arrived. The days of being okay with “just good enough” ended a long time ago, and the product on the field and the moves by the front office reflect this new mentality by the leadership.
Let’s hope the Bucs can find a way to keep this mentality going with Todd Bowles leading the team.
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