Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield throwing a pass (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Training camp is underway at the AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa, running through Aug. 26, and it has been dominated by contract drama as much as football. Tampa Bay missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019 last season after collapsing down the stretch, and this offseason brought the departures of leading receiver Mike Evans and longtime linebacker Lavonte David, along with unresolved extension talks for two of the team’s biggest names. General manager Jason Licht insists the roster and organization are still in a good place heading into the year.
Mayfield’s contract frustration and Licht’s reassurance
Baker Mayfield said he felt “disrespected” and “undervalued” by the two-year extension offer the Buccaneers put on the table, and he and his agent agreed to pause negotiations once training camp began, leaving him to play out the season without a long-term deal in hand. Licht said the team still views Mayfield as its franchise quarterback and left the door open to reopen talks, adding that using the franchise tag in 2027 remains an option both sides would be comfortable with if a resolution isn’t reached first. Mayfield has responded by practicing every day and telling teammates the frustration won’t change how he plays, and early camp practices have shown some of his best throws of the summer, including a pair of deep touchdowns to Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan.
Vea’s hold-in and trade request
Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea has been present at every practice but hasn’t participated on the field, a hold-in that his agent has said he doesn’t see ending in anything but a trade. Licht said publicly that the team has “no plans” to trade Vea and that the two sides have been “engaged” in recent talks, even as other teams have called to check on his availability. Vea is also managing a tweaked back suffered during the team’s conditioning test, adding a physical complication on top of the contract standoff as camp progresses.
Egbuka’s ascension and a receiver room without a true No. 1
With Evans gone to San Francisco, second-year receiver Emeka Egbuka steps into the top role in Tampa Bay’s offense, and new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, who previously served as Mayfield’s position coach and is installing a scheme similar to the one that fueled the Bucs’ offense under Liam Coen, figures to move him around the formation. The receiver room remains crowded even without Evans, with Chris Godwin working in the slot, Jalen McMillan on the perimeter and undrafted rookie Ted Hurst III, at 6-foot-3, offering a potential answer at outside receiver that the roster otherwise lacks. Camp has already tested the group’s depth, with Egbuka, McMillan and Godwin all missing practice time at various points with minor injuries.
Rueben Bain Jr.’s early pass-rush flashes
First-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. has been one of the standouts of training camp, repeatedly beating starting right tackle Luke Goedeke in one-on-one drills and forcing what would have been a sack of the starting quarterback in team periods. Tampa Bay is counting on the rookie edge rusher to jump-start a pass rush that has lacked a true difference-maker, with the team looking for its first double-digit-sack rookie season from a drafted player in decades. Outside linebacker David Walker Jr., who missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, has also flashed regularly in camp, recording a strip-sack in one recent practice.
Cornerback competition and an offensive line working through injuries
Zyon McCollum, Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish are all competing for two starting outside cornerback jobs, with Morrison’s availability in question after bilateral hip surgery and a recurring hamstring issue limited him to positional drills for much of the summer. If Parrish wins an outside spot, rookie Keionte Scott could be next in line at nickel, a competition made more pressing by walk-on cornerback Ayden Garnes’ strong camp, including multiple interceptions. Up front, All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs has been sidelined for most of camp with a hamstring injury, while coach Todd Bowles overhauled several defensive staff positions after last season’s late-season collapse, hoping fresh voices in familiar roles can fix the third-and-long breakdowns that helped cost Tampa Bay a playoff spot.
Full 2026 Tampa Bay Buccaneers scheduleWeekDateOpponentTime (ET)TV1Sun, Sept. 13at Cincinnati Bengals1 p.m.FOX2Sun, Sept. 20vs. Cleveland Browns1 p.m.CBS3Sun, Sept. 27vs. Minnesota Vikings4:05 p.m.FOX4Sun, Oct. 4vs. Green Bay Packers1 p.m.FOX5Thu, Oct. 8at Dallas Cowboys8:15 p.m.Prime Video6Sun, Oct. 18vs. Pittsburgh Steelers1 p.m.CBS7Sun, Oct. 25at Carolina Panthers1 p.m.FOX8Sun, Nov. 1vs. Atlanta Falcons1 p.m.FOX9Sun, Nov. 8at Chicago Bears8:20 p.m.NBC10—BYE——11Sun, Nov. 22at Detroit Lions1 p.m.CBS12Mon, Nov. 30vs. Carolina Panthers8:15 p.m.ESPN13Sun, Dec. 6vs. Los Angeles Chargers1 p.m.CBS14Sun, Dec. 13at Baltimore Ravens1 p.m.FOX15Sun, Dec. 20vs. New Orleans Saints1 p.m.FOX16TBDat Atlanta FalconsTBDTBD17TBDvs. Los Angeles RamsTBDTBD18TBDat New Orleans SaintsTBDTBD
Tampa Bay’s preseason opens on the road against the Jets on Aug. 14, followed by home and road games against Kansas City and Jacksonville.
Buccaneers odds and best bets for 2026
At BetRivers, Tampa Bay is priced at +5000 to win the Super Bowl, a long-shot price that reflects the uncertainty hanging over the roster entering the season.
MarketSelectionOddsSuper Bowl winnerTampa Bay Buccaneers+5000To make the playoffsYes+120To make the playoffsNo-148Regular-season win totalOver 8.5+110Regular-season win totalUnder 8.5-134NFC South finishFirst place+175Baker Mayfield 4,000+ passing yards & Buccaneers NFC South winnerYes+600Emeka Egbuka 1,000+ receiving yards & Buccaneers to reach the playoffsYes+300Rueben Bain Jr. Defensive Rookie of the Year & Buccaneers 10+ regular-season winsYes+1200
Odds via BetRivers as of publication. Check RG.org’s NFL sportsbooks hub throughout the season for updated lines and matchup previews.
Buccaneers odds for Canadian bettors
Canadian bettors can also find Buccaneers markets at Tonybet, where odds are listed in decimal format.
MarketSelectionOdds (Decimal)Super Bowl winnerTampa Bay Buccaneers43.20To miss the playoffsYes1.71Regular-season winsOver 8.52.06Regular-season winsUnder 8.51.81NFC South finishing position1st place2.64NFC South finishing position2nd place3.36NFC South finishing position3rd place4.31NFC South finishing position4th place5.51
Odds via Tonybet as of publication and subject to change.
Final outlook
Tampa Bay’s talent level hasn’t fallen off dramatically since its playoff run two years ago, but the accumulation of unresolved situations, Mayfield’s contract, Vea’s hold-in, injuries to Wirfs and the receiver corps, makes this a harder team to project than in recent seasons. Robinson’s return to a more familiar offensive system and Egbuka’s emergence as the primary target give the passing game a real foundation, while Bain’s early pass-rush flashes offer hope for a defense that needs more disruption up front. A middling win total and long Super Bowl odds reflect a team the market sees as capable of returning to playoff contention but far from a lock to do so, with plenty riding on how the front office handles its two biggest contract situations before the games start to count.