Ronde Barber Backs Bucs: Hall of Famer Says Tampa Bay Can Compete With NFC’s Best, Led by Mike Evans

Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers great Ronde Barber is confident that this current team can match up with the NFC’s elite.

Although the Buccaneers bowed in the first round of the NFL playoffs and have gone 1-3 in the Todd Bowles era, they’ve been one of the most consistent teams in the NFL over the past half decade. Tampa Bay has won four straight division titles and advanced to five consecutive playoffs, winning a Super Bowl at the conclusion of the 2020 season.

The Buccaneers actually have the longest playoff streak in the NFC and the third-longest streak in the NFL. However, they’ve struggled to advance deep into the playoffs in recent years.

“They Can Compete With Anybody”

“Sure, I mean they’ve beaten Philly every year,” says Barber in a one-on-one interview with RG when asked if the Buccaneers can match up with the NFC’s elite. “They’ve won the division four times, so they’re going to get the best team out of the conference that they’re not playing. They can compete with anybody. That’s part of the attraction of Tampa — at least quietly amongst NFL people — is that they may look bad, but they also may look really good.”

The Buccaneers haven’t exactly lit it up in the regular season, finishing with a 10-7 record last season, a 9-8 record the previous year and an 8-9 record during the 2022 season. However, they clearly have what it takes to match up against the very best of the NFC, having defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs during the 2023 season and having handed the NFL-best Detroit Lions one of their two regular season losses last season.

“They played some tough opponents and played well,” says Barber.

“You figure they were a couple of plays away from being in the game against Baltimore last year, who was one of the elites in the NFL. They took Kansas City to overtime last year, they were in the Super Bowl. They beat Philly last year, so yes, they can (compete).”

The Hall of Fame defensive back has a point — the Buccaneers actually nearly defeated the Kansas City Chiefs despite missing two of their top receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for that game. They also beat the Eagles early in the 2024 season right before Philadelphia rallied off 10 straight wins.

When factoring in that the Buccaneers have one of the best offenses — fourth in the NFL in 2024 — and one of the top quarterbacks in the league in Baker Mayfield (two-time Pro Bowl QB in Tampa), they have the ingredients to be successful.

“There’s no real room to criticize how they’ve been made,” says Barber, who played from 1997 until 2012 in Tampa Bay. “They have a really smart front office with really smart front office executives in (general manager) Jason Licht and (assistant general manager) Mike Greenberg.

“They Need a Big-Ass Truck on Defense”

Barber stresses that the Buccaneers need to add some defensive playmakers to get the team to the next level. He mentions potentially drafting a defensive back or an edge rusher with the No. 19 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The 49-year-old also is a big believer in head coach Todd Bowles, who has led the Buccaneers to the postseason in all three years as the head coach. He was also the defensive coordinator during the team’s run to the Super Bowl during the 2020 season.

 “They need some players to really start to shine on the other side of the ball on defense,” says Barber. 

“I’ve watched football professionally for going on 29 years now, and you can talk offense all you want. It’s nice and it’s pretty. It’s like having a nice new Corvette in your garage, but at some point you need that big-ass truck that’s going to put a stop to anything in its path.”

The Buccaneers ranked 16th in turnovers forced and 16th in points allowed last season. Simply put, that’s not going to cut it if Tampa Bay is aiming to win a Super Bowl.

“They have to find that on defense,” says Barber of finding a defensive playmaker. “That’s what will help separate them and make them an even more viable contender going forward.”

“He’s Going o Retire a Buc”

While the Buccaneers may be looking for a defensive playmaker to change games, one area that’s not lacking is in the wide receiver department. Tampa Bay features one of the game’s very best in Mike Evans, who has an NFL record 11 consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards to start out his career.

The 31-year-old Evans isn’t slowing down, having led the team in all three major receiving categories during the 2024 season. While Evans is only locked in through the 2025 season, Barber believes the six-time Pro Bowl receiver will end his career in Tampa.

“Absolutely,” says Barber when asked if Evans will end his career in Tampa. “No doubt, I have no doubt in my mind that dude will never wear another jersey unless he unretires unexpectedly after he leaves here.

“But no, no chance,” Barber continues about Evans potentially leaving Tampa.

“There’s very few one-time Bucs players that are that good. Obviously if you only play a couple years, it’s easy to be a one-team player, but you don’t put in what he’s put in and accomplish what he’s accomplished and go somewhere else and play.”

The Glazer family has owned the Buccaneers since 1995 and they’re known for their loyalty to players. Barber spent his entire 16-year career with the Buccaneers, as did longtime teammate Derrick Brooks, who spent all 14 years of his career in Tampa. Evans is currently the longest-tenured player on the roster, as he enters Year 12 with the Buccaneers.

“I’m hoping that’s mutual, hoping he feels that way,” says Barber. “I’m pretty certain the Bucs feel that way, so he’s going to retire a Buc and go to the Hall of Fame as a Buc. It’s unbelievable.”