Buccaneers GM Jason Licht labeled 2025 “disappointing,” pointed to injuries and inconsistency, and said Tampa Bay must upgrade the front seven.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t show up at the NFL Combine pretending 2025 was fine.

In a candid sit-down with Mike Florio, Bucs general manager Jason Licht summed up the season in one blunt word: “disappointing.” Not “frustrating.” Not “unfinished.” Disappointing. The kind of word you use when expectations were loud and the ending was quiet.

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Licht pointed to Tampa Bay’s hot start — a 5-1/6-2 type of beginning before the bye — and then to the slow leak that followed. He didn’t hide behind injuries, but he didn’t ignore them either. The Buccaneers cycled through offensive line combinations, lost key pass-catchers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for stretches, and watched running back Bucky Irving miss seven games. Even defensively, one of their better rush threats, Calijah Kancey, was sidelined most of the year, and rookie David Walker (a fourth-round pick) went down in camp.

The way Licht framed it, the injuries weren’t the excuse — they were the accelerant. The bigger issue was inconsistency across the board: offense, defense, special teams. Tampa’s standard has been high the past five years. When you’ve built a playoff habit, falling short feels louder.

So what’s the fix?

Licht didn’t dance around it: pressure the quarterback. He said Tampa Bay’s priority is the front seven — whether that means defensive tackle help, edge/outside linebacker help, or even inside linebacker support.

If you want the 2020 version of Tampa Bay defense — the one that hunted down Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV — you start by collapsing pockets again.

And yes, the big-name contract dominoes are hanging over everything.

Licht made it clear that the Buccaneers’ future plans are tied to Baker Mayfield, even if he didn’t offer a timeline on an extension. Mayfield is entering the final year of his deal, and Light acknowledged the team has options, including restructuring if they want cap flexibility.

Then there’s the franchise icon question: Mike Evans.

Licht praised Evans as a future Hall of Famer and said communication is strong, but also noted Evans has earned the right to test the market. Evans’ resume speaks for itself — including a historic run of 11 1,000-yard seasons that has him mentioned alongside Jerry Rice in rare air — and the Bucs know what it would mean if he retires anywhere else.

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Same tone, same respect, same uncertainty with Lavonte David: Tampa wants him, but he’s earned the right to choose.

The NFL Scouting Combine is where teams sell optimism. Licht didn’t. He sold honesty — and a very specific plan: fix the front, keep the core, and get back to being the team nobody wants to play in January.