The 2027 Pro Football Hall of Fame class has new nominees to choose from, and there are four Tampa Bay Buccaneers who have made the cut.
Underrated defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was one of the best in the business for years and is up for votes as the longest-tenured of the four on the ballot. The others are Super Bowl winner Rob Gronkowski at tight end, forever a Bucs legend, as well as another Super Bowl winner in the less legendary Antonio Brown (or maybe more, albeit for all the wrong reasons) and loud mouthed shutdown corner Richard Sherman.
Let's rate each of the four men's candidacy as Hall of Famers based on how likely the mildly informed voters are to select them, using their total body of work throughout their careers since three quarters of them did their best work outside of Tampa Bay.
Which former Tampa Bay Buccaneers could make the Hall of Fame in 2027?
TE Rob Gronkowski
Rob Gronkowski is by far the greatest tight end in NFL history and one of the easiest first ballot Hall of Famers possible. Anyone disputing either of these facts is out of their mind. Gronk redefined the tight end position and made it a marquee spot, showing that you can win games in the NFL when your best skill position player is a TE.
He could run routes like a wide receiver, dominate anyone at the catch point, block as good as most offensive tackles, and carry the ball in his hands after the catch like a running back. Peak Travis Kelce isn't even half the player Gronk was. 10/10
CB Richard Sherman
Richard Sherman fizzled out a bit as his career ended, but he was still good for the San Francisco 49ers towards the end. But with the Seattle Seahawks, Sherman was scary, and while he wasn't as dominant as Champ Bailey, Darrelle Revis, or Nnamdi Asomugha in their primes as shutdown corners, he could make more plays on the ball than all of them except Bailey. And he was a menace as a tackler and in run support. Sherman had very few glaring weaknesses, and only the shiftiest route runners like Antonio Brown could give him problems. He is going to the Hall. 9.9/10
WR Antonio Brown
The only thing going against Antonio Brown is the fact that he has done a lot of horrible things and rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, and everyone remembers the way he literally quit on the field for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, throwing his gear in the stands and betraying the man who believed in him the most and literally brought him his ring, Tom Brady. But before the wheels fell off when he joined the Oakland Raiders in 2018, Brown was an insane player and the best route runner and most consistent receiver the league has seen since Jerry Rice. He'll get in, even though most people despise him as a person. 9.5/10
DT Gerald McCoy
It's a shame Gerald McCoy isn't a slam dunk Hall of Famer, because he had a better career as a defensive tackle than bigger names like Ndamukong Suh. He made his impact on the game via his pass-rushing prowess and his importance to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization, It's just that most people didn't watch him, and the average Hall of Famer voter is only marginally smarter than the average Joe watching the NFL. 5/10
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