Who's Back in LVI?

Who's back?

  • Bucs

    Votes: 30 22.1%
  • Chiefs

    Votes: 23 16.9%
  • Bucs AND Chiefs

    Votes: 7 5.1%
  • Neither

    Votes: 76 55.9%

  • Total voters
    136

Saints Rest

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I suspect there'll be a 2021 Tompa Bay thread soonish, but knowing nothing about the Buccaneers' salary cap situation or player contracts or depth of roster or draft prospects, are they well-positioned to keep the core intact for another run next year or was this year largely an all-in push for one ring with the current personnel?
TB has quite a few free agents but do have some cap space. They'll have some decisions to make.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/buccaneers-draft-picks-cap-space-free-agents-2021-nfl-offseason
It's going to be tight for them. They only have 30 guys signed for next year right now so their current $38M in cap space per spotrac is pretty tenuous. Clearly, there will be restructurings and other things of that nature but they have a lot of key guys as UFA:

Shaq Barrett
Lavonte David
Gronk
Suh
Fournette
AB
Godwin

I think Godwin is surely a goner. Barrett might be as well since somebody is going to throw him major money. I could see Gronk, Suh, Fournette, AB running it back for reasonable money. Next year's team won't be as talented as this year's team but it should still be pretty good.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cap/2021/
I went with 2. KC is well-positioned to stay in the hunt for the next few seasons and their star players have taken very team-friendly deals (thus far). I can see them winning a few more, but they can also start to fall back to the pack a bit. Kelce is the same age as Gronk, and while he has the MUCH cleaner injury history, at some point the cumulative total of all those collisions will start to exact a toll. He's the engine of that receiving group, so if he slows down, there will be ripple effects. The OL is going to have to be rebuilt, which is easier said than done. Frank Clark has a monster contract but is coming off (for him) a so-so year. Blip, or is he starting a decline? Mathieu has a $20m cap hit in 2021, so something will need to happen there. How much do they want to invest into his 30s? Who knows how long Reid wants to coach or what happens when he leaves.

There's a ton of talent, and it begins with Mahomes, so they obviously aren't going anywhere any time soon. But they're going to run into the same problems that pop up for every would-be dynasty; to date NE is the only team that was able to keep it going.
The tradition, Patriots excepted, has been that losing Super Bowl teams typically have rough years the year after losing, while winners have had a better track record.

So will either team be back?
 

nolasoxfan

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Jun 11, 2004
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I voted the field. Injuries, cap space, and the unpredictable nature of the game make getting back to a Super Bowl extremely difficult.
 

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
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I think the Chiefs are back and the Bucs are not. I'll believe a non-Brady AFC team can beat Mahomes when it counts when I see it. The NFC seems pretty competitive and the Bucs are going to lose some key guys so I don't think they'll be back.
 

kartvelo

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I think the Chiefs are back and the Bucs are not. I'll believe a non-Brady AFC team can beat Mahomes when it counts when I see it. The NFC seems pretty competitive and the Bucs are going to lose some key guys so I don't think they'll be back.
Good point about the AFC. KC might drop off a bit, but who's going to get better?
 

sonofgodcf

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Jul 17, 2005
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Good point about the AFC. KC might drop off a bit, but who's going to get better?
Bills/Browns/Titans/Ravens and the Dolphins all have reasons to be optimistic, and the last time the Pats finished with a losing season they were able to make a quick turn around... Repeating is hard, and there is so much change year-to-year that I'd be surprised if we saw a rematch. I think the Bucs have the better chance of making it back though, the NFC looks pretty soft overall, plus Brady.
 

McBride11

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Jul 15, 2005
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Not all clear on who the Bucs are losing in FA. With that admitted lack of info, I voted Bucs.
KC won a lot this year but was not really dominant in many games this year.
Repeating is hard, kc making three straight SB is also really hard. I was between the field and TB, but their new QB seems solid.
 

SemperFidelisSox

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May 25, 2008
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Tampa has a favorable schedule next year. Everyone in the NFC South is rebuilding, the NFC East was historically bad last season, and they don’t have to play other division winners because they were the Wild Card. So they get the Rams and Bears instead of Seahawks and Packers. 12-4/13-3 and the bye is doable.
 

j-man

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Dec 19, 2012
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Arkansas
Good point about the AFC. KC might drop off a bit, but who's going to get better?
KC remind me of the 01 rams 02 raiders after their losses tampa gave a stong buleprint on what to do double hill take away the chunk plays if u do that they are nominal and i have heard rumours that andy reid might be force to step down

in the AFC right now Buff and Balt And Cle Tenn are the teams to beat With Mia Ne Pitt LAC INDY and Jets if they get watson Lac Vegas and KC fighting over 3 spots right now i dont think DEN Jax HOU Ciny are in the running for the playoffs

NFC Tampa is a slight fav but will they get a late bye again doubtful and they will lose Latonie David who is a pro bowl LB i think Green bay Rams sea unless they trade wilson arizona dallas all have a shot at going to LA with WFT NYG Minn Chi NO Car SF all wild card shots i think Philly DET and ATL have no playoff shot right now i say Balt vs GB
 

bagwell1

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Jul 31, 2006
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Jacksonville
I know it is highly unlikely TB repeats but not sure you could ask for a much better starting position for a defending champ to at least get back to the Super Bowl.

With the excellent last three drafts, and no moronic contracts, the roster is in much better shape than their closest competitors. And, not only are they in top half of NFL cap space( even with roster spots accounted for), the vast majority of available cap space is in the AFC.

With The Saints roster situation , the division might be as “wide open“ as it typically was for New England.

No coordinator got poached and the offense will probably just lose Godwin and Fournette. Even the entire OL is back if they want. Oh, and maybe Brady will have a little more time with his team this year.

DL/LB will likely need some replacing but with studs Vea and White combined with the entire young secondary returning, you have to like what they have in place at each level.

We shall see what the off season brings for every NFL team, but at the moment, I like where TB is sitting.