The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are prepping for their second season with Baker Mayfield under the helm at QB.
When Tom Brady officially retired, many believed the Bucs would take a significant step back in the NFC and start a rebuild, which would take a few years to get them back into playoff contention.
Instead, Mayfield signed with the team for a veteran minimum contract before the 2023 campaign, bet on himself, and revitalized his career leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to an unexpected NFC South Crown and playoff berth.
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Tampa Bay got off to a surprising 3–1 start and sat in first place in the NFC South during their bye in Week 5. After their bye week, however, they lost six our of their seven games, including a brutal four game losing streak to quickly slip to 4–7. Despite this, the Buccaneers rebounded, winning five out of their last six games and won the tie-breaker against the division rival Saints to clinch the division.
Now heading into 2024, expectations have risen for the Buccaneers. In March, the organization inked Mayfield to a three-year contract worth up to $115 million, cementing him as the team’s starting QB for at least the next two seasons.
Roughly a week before locking down their quarterback, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inked a two year contract with star WR Mike Evans worth base value of $41 million with $29 million fully guaranteed, and a total guarantee of $35 million. Evans has a full guaranteed salary in 2024, and is due two roster bonuses in 2024.
The pieces are in place for the Bucs to make another playoff run in 2024, but the NFC South has gotten better over the offseason. The Atlanta Falcons look like the biggest threat to the Bucs ahead of the new season, with Kirk Cousins locked in as the franchise QB and a bevy of weapons at his disposal.
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The Carolina Panthers looked to have bolstered their coaching staff and given Bryce Young some new weapons, but only time will tell if they will be able to truly compete for a division crown in 2024. The New Orleans Saints had a quiet offseason and are continuing to ride with Derek Carr at QB for another year, despite and up-and-down performance last season.
It’s hard to predict how the division will pan out, but on paper, it looks like the Bucs and Falcons are the teams with the strongest rosters, with the slight edge going to Atlanta.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Deven Thompkins Suing Ex-Wife After Child Abuse Allegations
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While the current Bucs team is prepping for a new season, one former player is involved in an intense legal battle with his ex-wife that’s made the news over the last month.
Deven Thompkins’ wife posted photos to social media back in May that suggested she was a victim of domestic abuse. In response, the Buccaneers released Thompkins roughly one week after those photos were posted.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR is now suing his ex-wife, alleging defamation and interference with his NFL contract through legal means.
Thompkins is seeking the full value of the one-year, $985,000 contract he was released from. He’s also looking to clear his name, as he has been adamant that the allegations levied against him are false.
In the lawsuit, Thompkins alleges that his wife “donned a ski mask and attacked Plaintiff’s then-current girlfriend at a party by punching her in the nose and ripping the hair extensions from her head.”
He says that his wife attempted to extort and blackmail him, threatening to go to the media with photos that showed signs of apparent abuse.
Thompkins then says that his wife attempted to reconcile, showing texts that say “I’m done blackmailing you” and that “you have my word.”
After Thompkins signed a new deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in February, he says the efforts at extortion restarted.
Thompkins is also looking for a new team after being released by Tampa Bay.
If he can prove that the allegations are indeed false and that he was being extorted, we’ll see if the Buccaneers or any other team will sign him for the 2024 season.