As more new stadiums are built and existing stadiums are renovated, there will always be a next wave of aging stadiums to be replaced or revamped.
In Tampa, the local NFL team is hoping for a massive overhaul of a stadium that opened in 1998.
Via Colleen Wright of the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Sports Authority President and CEO Eric Hart said he expects the Buccaneers to seek a renovation that will cost between $700 million and $1.3 billion.
The Buccaneers reportedly have floated the notion of footing the bill for one third of the expenses, with the public picking up the rest of the tab.
Complicating the situation is the fact that a new stadium for the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays will impact the capacity to devote taxpayer money to a renovation of the football stadium. Via Emma Behrmann of the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the baseball venue is expected to include $976 million in public funding.
While the renovation will be pricey, it’s always more expensive to build a new stadium. The real question is the extent to which a major renovation will extend the overall life of the facility. At some point, it will make more sense to just build something new.
That’s the way it will continue to go. As better stadiums are built in other cities, pressure will build on other teams to do the same. It’s a cycle that will continue for as long as the NFL remains the powerhouse product it has become.
Or until enough cities and states refuse to do it, even if (for some) that entails a risk that the franchise will relocate.
The Buccaneers lost the best wide receiver in franchise history when Mike Evans left in free agency, and now head coach Todd Bowles wants to see who steps up to replace him.
“They’re talented,” Bowles said. “We know they’ve got a lot of talent right there. Any time you lose a player like that, or any player that was legendary on their team, different guys got to come in and step up. That’s the nature of sports, and I’m sure we have some guys in that room that will.”
Bowles said wide receiver Jalen McMillan has looked good in the offseason program.
“Jalen’s tough. His mental toughness is unbelievable,” Bowles said. “His competitiveness, the way he attacks the ball, the way he fights for every route and wants to get open and be that guy, that gives you a lot of confidence.”
Bowles also said wide receiver Chris Godwin, who has missed more games than he’s played the last two seasons, is healthy and looks ready to have a big year.
“Chris has been great. He’s in great shape, he’s healthy, he’s working out, he’s tough, he’s very smart,” Bowles said. “He looks good.”
No one will make Buccaneers fans forget Evans, but if the Buccaneers get good seasons from McMillan and Godwin, and last year’s impressive rookie Emeka Egbuka continues to improve, they could have as good a corps of wide receivers without Evans as they had with him.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles will get to catch up with one of his former teams this summer.
Bowles said at a Tuesday press conference that the Bucs have set up a pair of joint practices with the Jets before the two teams play in the first week of the preseason. Bowles was the head coach of the Jets from 2015-2018.
There will likely be workouts with the Jaguars before the final game of the preseason as well.
“We lined it up with the Jets and we’re in the process of trying to line it up with the Jaguars, as well,” Bowles said, via the team’s website. “We’ll probably just play Kansas City.”
The Bucs practiced with both of the AFC teams ahead of the 2023 season as well.
Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was limited to 10 games last season due to injury.
He’s on the mend after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, but is not yet participating as Tampa Bay gets its OTA practices started this week.
According to multiple reporters on the scene, Irving got on the field midway through the day’s session and worked on the side with trainers and running backs coach Skip Peete.
“[H]e’s coming along fine,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said after the session, via PewterReport.com. “We expect him sometime back in the summer or fall, and we’ll look forward to him when he gets back.”
That Bowles would mention the fall when discussing Irving’s return is a bit of an eyebrow raiser. But it is still late May, giving Irving months to recover before Tampa Bay’s Week 1 matchup against the Bengals.
Irving rushed for 588 yards with one touchdown and caught 30 passes for 277 yards with three TDs last season. As a rookie in 2024, he rushed for 1,122 yards with eight touchdowns and caught 47 passes for 392 yards.
The Buccaneers have taken care of some important business with their rookies.
Tampa Bay announced on Thursday that second-round pick Josiah Trotter has signed his rookie four-year deal.
That means the Bucs have now signed all seven of their 2026 draftees.
Trotter, a linebacker, played his college ball at at West Virginia in 2023 and 2024 before transferring to Mizzou for 2025. He was the Big 12 defensive freshman of the year in 2024 before becoming a first-team All-SEC selection in 2205.
