Despite a miserable season, the Buccaneers still had some big winners this year

Now that the dust has settled and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2025 season has officially come to a close, it's time to look back on the rollercoaster campaign.

Finishing at 8-9 and snapping the team's streak of four consecutive division championships, it's safe to say the season didn't end the way anybody had hoped. Still, there are a handful of Buccaneers that deserve recognition for their performances throughout the year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers team awards for the 2025 season

Team MVP: Chase McLaughlin

Chase McLaughlin proved to be the most reliable player for the Buccaneers throughout the season. He made 32 of his 38 field goal attempts and 32-of-33 extra points. Of his six missed field goals, three were blocked, meaning he only had three true misses on the year.

His 32 made field goals set a new career high and also established a new Buccaneers franchise record. He finished a league-best 11-of-12 from 50-plus yards and now sits as the most accurate long-distance kicker in NFL history. His reliability from long range was a massive weapon for the Buccaneers and helped put crucial points on the board for a team that played in a lot of close games.

Offensive Player of the Year: Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield played some of the best football of his career over the first eight games of the season before his performance declined after the bye week. Still, he deserves a ton of credit for overcoming countless key injuries to his offensive line and wide receivers — and even injuries to himself.

He finished the season with 3,693 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He constantly made magic happen with his legs, evading pressure and turning would-be sacks into positive plays for the offense. It wasn’t a perfect season by any means, but many quarterbacks wouldn’t have been able to survive the level of adversity Mayfield faced in 2025, and he did an admirable job keeping the Buccaneers competitive despite what was often a less-than-ideal situation.

Defensive Player of the Year: Vita Vea

Tykee Smith might have felt like the obvious answer here, and he was the runner-up, but Vita Vea remains the heart and soul of this defense. He has been the key to the team’s success against the run year after year and continues to make a significant impact despite facing constant double teams from opposing offenses.

Vea was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s No. 20 defensive tackle out of 134 qualifying players and was the 12th-best pass rusher among defensive tackles. He finished second on the team with 4.5 sacks, while his 39 quarterback hurries ranked fourth at the position and his 51 total pressures ranked seventh. His eight quarterback hits ranked 11th at the position.

No player impacts this Buccaneers defense like Vea, and with him turning 31 this offseason, the team needs to savor the time it has left with one of the league’s best defensive tackles anchoring the unit.

Comeback Player of the Year: Jamel Dean

Jamel Dean’s career to this point had been marred by injuries and inconsistent play, to the point where Tampa Bay forced him to take an $8 million pay cut last offseason and shaved the final year off his contract. 

But with Dean entering his final season as a Buccaneer and facing a crossroads in his career, he responded to the adversity accordingly and delivered the best season of his career by far.

Dean finished as PFF’s No. 3 cornerback in the NFL in 2025. His 76.9 coverage grade ranked No. 9 out of 114 cornerbacks. Dean elevated his game and performed at an elite level for much of the season, and he’ll likely be rewarded with a hefty payday in free agency as a result.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Emeka Egbuka

Emeka Egbuka didn’t have much competition here, but he still put together a remarkable rookie campaign. He finished with 63 receptions for 938 yards and six touchdowns.

The only real disappointment was his failure to reach 1,000 yards and the noticeable decline in his production as the season went on. He averaged 70 yards per game before the bye week but just 42 yards per game afterward. He went from the runaway favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors to an afterthought, though much of that falls on Mayfield and the offensive play-calling failing to consistently get him the ball.

Egbuka flashed plenty of potential during his rookie season, and there is a strong foundation for him to build on going forward as the future leader of the Buccaneers’ wide receiver room.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jacob Parrish

While the Buccaneers drafted fellow rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison a round earlier, it was Jacob Parrish who emerged as the team’s best rookie defender.

Parrish is a versatile player who can make an impact both inside and outside. He’s strong in coverage, but he’s also a reliable run defender and a willing tackler. His two sacks and nine total pressures both ranked third among cornerbacks, speaking to how perfect of a fit he is for Todd Bowles’ blitz-heavy scheme. He also ended the season on a high note, snagging his first interception in the regular-season finale.

Tampa Bay got a steal in the third round, landing a physical, gritty player with the potential to develop into a foundational piece of the defense for years to come.