Five former Buccaneers from Tampa Bay are headed to Super Bowl LVIII.
Seeing former Bucs players compete in the Super Bowl is the worst thing that can happen to a fan base during the offseason.
There is, of course, but there are a lot of possible interpretations for the fact that five former Buccaneers will be participating in the big game this year.
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To begin with, when offensive tackle Donovan Smith, quarterback Blaine Gabbert, safety Mike Edwards, and receiver Justin Watson suit up for the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs in a few weeks, fans who identify as supporters of the players rather than just the logos may find themselves rooting for them.
Security After joining the team in December, Logan Ryan will be the only former Buccaneer to play for San Francisco.
It can also be seen as a badge of honor that another contender recognized the value of the talent available, even though Tampa Bay itself had to make difficult decisions to address its salary cap problem after its own run to the Super Bowl.
Though it doesn’t always make the premature offseason any easier to bear, that viewpoint may give you hope that the people making the decisions are bringing in quality players, even if those players occasionally have to move on and succeed somewhere else.
Naturally, there is also the fan base that will undoubtedly take the stance of “my brand or no brand” and have fully written off every single one of them as traitors, including those who never made the decision to quit the Buccaneers.
Those watching the Chiefs take on the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers on February 11th will most likely see Smith and Edwards—assuming he’s healthy enough after sustaining an injury on Sunday—as the two top former Tampa Bay players in snaps on both sides of the ball.
As a part of the 49ers’ defensive rotation, Ryan will frequently see the field. In the victory over Detroit that propelled the team to the Super Bowl, he racked up two tackles.
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Given that Watson has played more than half of Kansas City’s offensive plays this season and had a 16-yard reception in the team’s victory over Baltimore last weekend, you’ll probably see him as well.
However, while they aspire for quarterback Patrick Mahomes to win his third Super Bowl in seven years—six of which he started—Chiefs fans do not want to see Gabbert on the field during the game.
