Which team has fared better in their post-Tom Brady era: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or New England Patriots?
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently weighed in and argued that Tampa Bay has had the more successful post-GOAT run. Let’s take a look at the numbers and the state of each NFL franchise.
Comparing the Bucs’ Post-Tom Brady Era to the Patriots’
“I think it’s at least worth mentioning that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to have come out of their Tom Brady era cleaner than the mighty Patriots did,” Breer wrote. “The evidence bears that out.”
The NFL insider pointed out that the Patriots went 17-17 in their first two seasons after Brady left, missing the playoffs one year and getting blown out in the Wild Card round (47-17 to the Buffalo Bills) the next.
Cam Newton served as the team’s bridge quarterback and then they handed the reins over to No. 15 overall pick Mac Jones, who ultimately didn’t pan out. Since Brady left, New England has posted a 25-39 record (including 15-32 from 2022 to 2024).
While the Patriots’ recent struggles allowed them to land the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and find their potential quarterback of the future in Drake Maye, the last few years have been rough.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers are 17-15 since Brady’s departure. While this is similar to New England’s record in their first two post-Brady seasons, Tampa Bay not only made the playoffs last year, they blew out the Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 in the Wild Card round and then seriously challenged the Detroit Lions on the road in the Divisional Round.
Now, the Bucs have a great shot to win the NFC South title for a fourth straight year. PFN’s Playoff Predictor gives Tampa Bay a 77.1% chance of making the playoffs and 73.5% odds to win the division.
Breer also notes that while New England struggled to replace Brady’s production under center, the Bucs hit on Baker Mayfield, who has thrown an NFL-best 56 touchdown passes since he signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent. The Bucs initially signed Mayfield to a one-year, $4 million contract in 2023, and he proceeded to play the best football of his career. Last offseason, Tampa Bay inked him to a three-year, $100 million deal.
MORE: Simulate the Rest of the NFL Season With PFN’s Playoff Predictor
Breer also notes that Tampa Bay has hit on a bunch of their draft picks in recent years, so it seems very unlikely that the Bucs will bottom out like the Patriots did in recent years. General manager Jason Licht and his staff have assembled an impressive young core in Tampa, which includes the following players:
- LT Tristan Wirfs (2020 first-rounder)
- S Antoine Winfield (2020 second-rounder)
- RB Bucky Irving (2024 fourth-rounder)
- CB Zyon McCollum (2022 fifth-rounder)
- RT Luke Goedeke (2022 second-rounder)
- DT Calijah Kancey (2023 first-rounder)
- C Graham Barton (2024 first-rounder)
- DE YaYa Diaby (2023 third-rounder)
- RB Rachaad White (2022 third-rounder)
- TE Cade Otton (2022 fourth-rounder)
- DB Tykee Smith (2024 third-rounder)
- WR Jalen McMillan (2024 third-rounder)
- RG Cody Mauch (2023 second-rounder)
- LB SirVocea Dennis (2023 fifth-rounder)
- RB Sean Tucker (undrafted)
- WR Trey Palmer (2023 sixth-rounder)
While Brady obviously played a big role in the Bucs’ success, Licht and Co. deserve a ton of credit for finding diamonds in the rough in free agency and the draft and putting the team in an excellent position to continue winning without the GOAT. What makes the Bucs’ recent run even more impressive is the fact that they have had a revolving door of coaches, with three offensive coordinators in three years (Liam Coen, Dave Canales, and Byron Leftwich).
It’s also worth noting that the Bucs have created a culture where players want to re-sign in Tampa, as we’ve seen with Winfield, Wirfs, Mayfield, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Vita Vea, Jamel Dean, Jordan Whitehead, Mike Edwards, and Carlton Davis, among others.
Considering the Bucs were the losingest franchise in all of professional sports prior to Brady joining the team and the Patriots are six-time Super Bowl champions, Breer notes that the recent trajectory of both teams is quite surprising.
“I don’t think this is a result many folks would have expected, given the reputations of the two franchises over the past couple decades,” he wrote.