By: Jake Rajala

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not have Gronk, but they still have Tom Brady and a lot of confidence entering the 2022 season. If they want to win their second Super Bowl in three years, I believe they will still need unheralded profiles to shine. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three underrated players that could take the next step.

Cameron Brate

The pressure is absolutely on the former Harvard man Cameron Brate after Gronk retired. Brate hauled in four touchdowns as the TE2 last season, but he could certainly have his sights set on 10+ touchdowns in his new role in 2022. The Bucs also don’t have AB (62 targets in 7 games a season ago). I believe the Bucs TE that has two years remaining on his contract could have career-high numbers in many categories next season.

Jamel Dean

The Bucs CB Jamel Dean could be the x-factor in each of the Bucs pivotal clashes against the Saints. Dean has been a modest CB — as PFF gave him a 74.5-grade last season. At one point in the 2020 season, he was graded as the best CB by PFF. The Bucs have a lethal front seven, but they desperately need the young CB to be consistently dominant moving forward.

Ryan Succop

The Bucs kicker Ryan Succop wasn’t an overly sexy kicker last season (83.3%), but he was certainly clutch. He made a nice game-winning field goal in Week 1 – after Brady made a beautiful drive. Succop had a 90.3 FG% in 2020, so he’s certainly capable of being a high-end kicker. The Bucs may have Brady, but they will need their talented kicker to have a 2022 campaign that is similar to his 2020 season.

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By: Jake Rajala

The mythical football player Robert Gronkowski announced his retirement (for the second time) last Tuesday. Gronk is known for having high-end success with the Patriots, winning many Super Bowl rings with Tom Brady, and having an outlandish personality.

There’s a pivotal, fascinating question that should revolve around Gronk after he’s decided to hang up his cleats: Is Gronk simply the best TE of all time? Well, I’m going to outline the success that Gronk has left on the field while comparing his legacy to fellow legendary tight ends.

Gronk entered the league as a second-round draft pick with the New England Patriots in 2010. He really showed his energy on stage- as he celebrated with his family and put on his helmet. Gronk’s draft-day energy was a sign of things to come. Jimmy Graham was also a 2010 draftee, as the Saints picked him in the third round. Similar to many other gifted tight ends, he didn’t have an overly impressive rookie season (excluding TD receptions): 46 receptions, 546 yds, and 10 TDs. Nonetheless, he really blossomed in his second season.

In 2011, Gronk hauled in career-high numbers in many categories: touchdowns (17), receiving yards (1,327), and receptions (90). His efforts in his sophomore season resulted in his getting first-team All-Pro honors and his first trip to Hawaii.

Gronk’s 2012 season was also impressive — as he recorded 11 touchdowns and 790 yards in 11 games. His second-best NFL season appeared in 2014: 82 receptions, 1,124 yds, and 12 touchdowns. In 2015, he recorded 72 receptions, 1,176 yds, and 11 TDs. His last All-Pro season came in 2017 (69 receptions, 1,084 yards, and 8 TDs). Gronk’s last season in New England was 2018 and then he briefly retired in 2019.

Brady returned to play the drums for Gronk, so his long-time pal at TE would return to help him rule the galaxy. The former Pats TE that held a Hall of Fame resume prior to joining Tampa helped the Brady bunch win the Lombardi trophy in the 2020-2021 season — as he notably had two touchdowns in playoffs. Gronk had his last hoorah and won his fourth SB ring alongside Brady in a Buccaneers uniform.

Gronk’s Super Bowl count is very impressive amid the group of tight ends that are in Canton (or on the path to Canton). Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, and Jason Witten combine for zero Super Bowl rings. Gronk even has more SB trophies than Sharpe, who even has an unearthly SB ring count (3).

He may stand on top of the cliff in the SB ring department, but he doesn’t have the most career receiving yards. He ranks fifth (after Gonzalez, Witten, Gates, and Sharpe) in career receiving yards (9,286 yds).

Gronk ousted 92 career receiving touchdowns, which is nicely the third-most receiving touchdowns ever by a TE. Antonio Gates (116 receiving TDs) and Tony Gonzalez (111 receiving TDs) only have more career receiving touchdowns, but they have also been in a significantly more amount of games than Gronk. Gates has played 236 games, Gonzalez has laced up his cleats for 270 games (yes, you read that correctly), and Gronk has only played 143 games.

I believe that Gonzalez and Gates should be proudly recognized for their success over a long period of time. Although, the resume of a player certainly can’t rely on the number of seasons played — especially if a player isn’t overly productive in the back-end of their career. For example, RB Frank Gore might have attempted to pace with Tom Brady for a very long career, but he also didn’t make a Pro Bowl in his last several seasons. Gates made eight Pro Bowls in his first nine seasons, but he didn’t make a Pro Bowl over his last several seasons. Furthermore, Gonzalez made four All-Pro teams in his first several seasons, but he garnered one All-Pro honor over his last five seasons. In legendary TE fashion – Sharpe also didn’t make a Pro Bowl over his five last seasons in the league.

With that enunciated, I’m going to simply untwine how Gronk’s 11-season career stacks up to the first 11 seasons of the career of Gates, Gonzalez, and Sharpe.

Gronk’s career resume (11 seasons)

• 9,286 yards
• 92 touchdowns
• Four All-Pro selections
• Four SB rings
• Five Pro Bowl selections

Gates’s first 11 seasons

• 9,193 yards
• 87 touchdowns
• Three All-Pro selections
• Eight Pro Bowl selections
• Zero SB rings

Gonzalez’s first 11 seasons

• 9,882 yards
• 66 touchdowns
• Nine Pro Bowl selections
• Four All-Pro selections
• Zero SB rings

Sharpes’s first 11 seasons

• 7,793 yards
• 49 touchdowns
• Seven Pro Bowl selections
• Four All-Pro selections
• Three SB rings

I would say that Gronk should feel quite confident about how productive he was in his career span in comparison to the same number of seasons as fellow cream-of-the-crop TEs. Gronk was flat out a red-zone machine, but he also was utterly successful: a whopping four SB rings.

Gonzalez matches the same All-Pro count as Gronk, but he didn’t find gold/a Super Bowl ring in his entire career. He was even able to garner an All-Pro season in the back-end of his career, but he still couldn’t win a SB ring with a loaded team. Sharpe (who did play in a different era) has a very similar resume as Gronk, but I believe Gronk’s magic in and out of Tampa is slightly more attractive than Sharpe’s output in and out of Denver.

All in all, I honestly believe that Gronk should be seen as the best TE of all time. His resume clearly expresses that he is a stat machine, consistent, and undoubtedly a champion. I believe that Sharpe is the second-best TE while Gonzalez is the third-greatest TE to lace up his cleats. Perhaps Travis Kelce (or George Kittle) will break the barrier established by Gronk in the future.

Let’s not forget that there is always a chance that the 33-year-old TE unretires for the second time in his career.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans was clearly dancing like Michael Jackson when Tom Brady un-retired this off-season. Evans hauled in a career-high 14 receiving touchdowns last season and he was a play-maker in the playoffs (236 yds and 2 touchdowns in 2 games). He should continue to be a red-zone freak, especially without the potential absence of Robert Gronkowski (outside of AB’s demise). Gronk had six touchdowns and 802 yards last season. The Bucs weaponry will have to replace his production if he stays out of the Bucs facility.

Evans will continue to be the lead toy for TB12. Fantasy Pros has already sung praises for the Bucs WR “in 2022”, as they stated that he is the consensus 8th best fantasy WR, top WR for Brady and that the Bucs will feel great about having the 10th best WR schedule. Evans may not feel ecstatic about facing Marshon Lattimore, also known as his kryptonite, but he will certainly have Brady throwing him the pigskin against mediocre competition next season.

The long-term outlook for Evans is a bit of a mystery. He is under contract through the 2023 season. I believe Brady could play in 2023, but I highly doubt he will be in an NFL uniform in 2024. Regardless, Evans will be in a Bucs uniform for the next couple of seasons. He should really have a high ceiling in 2022 and he should be the main target with Brady or a new QB in 2023.

He is labeled as the 20th best WR in dynasty PPR via Fantasy Pros. I would honestly hold/buy Evan’s services. Regardless of the GOAT’s options in the 2023 off-season, I am a big believer in his role in Tampa Bay and he has a tremendous work ethic at 28 years old. The WR that has never had a season below 1,000+ yards should be a fantastic, heavily involved weapon for the Bucs for many more seasons in my opinion.

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The Tennessee Titans recently released the infamous wide receiver, Julio Jones. The Titans saved $9.5 million by cutting the former Atlanta Falcons legend. The Titans squad that quietly obtained the one seed in the AFC last season deemed it wise to move on from the talented, expensive 33-year-old WR.

Julio Jones might be a tad out of his prime, but I don’t believe he is completely washed up or the same caliber of WR that WR Andre Johnson was late in his career. Here is how productive Julio has been in recent memory:

• 434 receving yards in 10 games last season
• 771 receiving yards in 9 games in 2020

It’s clear that Jones’s 2021 tells a different tale from his 2020 campaign, but It should be noted that the Titans displayed the 23rd ranked passing offense in 2021. Meanwhile, Julio was on pace for 1,000+ receiving yards for the Matt Ryan-led Falcons offense that ranked fifth in passing YPG in 2020.

Jones is a free agent at an interesting point in his career. I really suspect him to want to win a Super Bowl while playing for a talented QB. The Buccaneers recently witnessed the NFL goat return to their building and it appears they are ready to come out guns blazing to win a Super Bowl next season. I expect Brady to play for a contract well below his value and the superb Mike Evans has already restructured his contract.

I fully admit that Julio is not the same WR that registered 1,871 yards in 2015, but I certainly believe he can be a Pro Bowl WR for the age-less Tom Brady in 2022. Brady’s offense ranked first in passing YPG and passing touchdowns last season. I believe Brady will be able to spread it around well to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jones.

It’s worth noting that Antonio Brown was often the WR3 last season, but he still unveiled 545 yards in 7 games in 2020. Furthermore, I don’t expect Julio to be a cancer in the locker room and find himself getting axed by Bruce Arians in the middle of the season.

It’s well noted that TB12 is really pushing for Julio to return to the NFC South and ink a contract with the Bucs. Time will tell if Brady’s wish comes to fruition, but I foresee Julio (and Gronk) joining another legend in Brady for his likely last ride in 2022.

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The seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has officially stated that he’s coming out of retirement to play with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022. Brady recently was asked by Cristiano Ronaldo if he was finished. The former Wolverine (back in the stone age) shrugged his shoulders and left his expression to answer Ronaldo’s question. It appears that Brady has already made up his mind, as he’s returning to his glory days of playing in the professional football league at age 44.

Brady will have the keys to an offense that still features Mike Evans and could likely see Rob Gronkowski return to his arsenal, as well. TB12 will not only be leading a Bucs team that should retain most of its top talent from a season ago, but he will still look to be the same caliber of QB he was from 2021. Here is a look at how dominant Brady was last season:

• 5,316 passing yards
• 43 passing touchdowns
• 13-4 record in the regular season
• Pro Bowl selection

It’s clear that Brady showed no signs of slowing down at age 44. The Bucs fanbase, Mark Whalberg, Gronk, and the entire NFL should at least have some bliss that the NFL’s greatest legend is coming back in 2022.

Brady knows that his team should be seen as the NFC South favorites at the moment. The Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints don’t yield an elite QB “at the moment”. The Atlanta Falcons recently saw Calvin Ridley get suspended for the 2022 season and they still have many holes on their roster.

In the NFC, Brady should have confidence that his team should be a Top 3 contender in their conference. The LA Rams might lose Von Miller to the Broncos, OBJ will miss a large chunk of 2022, and their elite left tackle Andrew Whitworth will likely retire in the coming weeks. The Green Bay Packers will witness “burning man” Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams come back, but Brady will likely “retire permanently” before the Packers add a top-tier WR2 for Rodgers. Expect the incredibly self-motivated Tom Brady to still have a chip on his shoulder and help his team have another fantastic chance of winning their second Super Bowl trophy in three seasons.

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