Bucs Announce 2024 Team Captains

After waiting to announce their captains until well into the 2023 season, the Buccaneers took a proactive approach this year to determine their 2024 leadership group.

The team announced Thursday morning that wide receiver Mike Evans, quarterback Baker Mayfield and left tackle Tristan Wirfs will wear the captains’ patches on the offensive side of the ball, while linebacker Lavonte David, defensive lineman Vita Vea and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. will wear the captains’ patches on the defensive side of the ball.

The Buccaneers will be led by a team legend and a long-time captain.

Buccaneers ILB Lavonte David and WR Mike Evans – Photo courtesy of USA Today

There was nothing particularly surprising When the Buccaneers announced their 2024 captains Thursday morning. But two of the leaders voted on by the team weren’t a total surprise. Mike Evans and Lavonte David will still be wearing the “C” on their jerseys this season. Given that both players are franchise icons and longtime captains, it was only natural that they would be selected as captains when they re-signed with Tampa Bay this offseason.

Evans is in his 11th season with the Buccaneers and was selected as a captain for the eighth consecutive year. The veteran receiver has been a model of consistency on and off the field for Tampa Bay since being drafted in 2014, and his selfless approach and winning mentality have earned him the admiration and respect of teammates, coaches and fans for more than a decade.

The only player who has served as a captain longer than Evans is, of course, David. Now in his 13th season, David has been named team captain for 11 straight seasons. He was first named captain in 2014 and has received the honor every year since. Earlier this summer, the 34-year-old linebacker spoke about his growth as a leader.

“It’s getting better and better,” David says. “Sometimes you have to speak up more than you want to. Sometimes you just have to sit back when you need to. My thing is, I speak when I need to. When there’s something that needs to be said, when people don’t understand, when things aren’t going well. That’s who I am. That’s my captain. When people need advice, I’m one of the first people they go to. Or when I see someone not doing something right… You learn a lot just by being on the other side of the league.

“If a player isn’t doing something right and the coach is constantly reminding him, that’s a sign. It’s like, ‘Hey, hey. Come on. You’ve got to work harder. If you keep doing that, you’re not going to be here long.’ I don’t want to be the kind of guy that just leaves players hanging… You’ve worked too hard to get to this point, so when you get here, you’ve got to take advantage of this opportunity. So I definitely try to be a big brother type captain.”

Buccaneers captaincy includes young veterans

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

Mike Evans and Lavonte David are two of just three players on the Buccaneers roster over the age of 30, so it’s not surprising the team’s remaining captains are somewhat younger veterans in 2024. Baker Mayfield, 29, re-signed with a new $100 million, three-year contract this offseason and was named one of Tampa Bay’s captains for the second consecutive year.

Coach Todd Bowles led the team Waiting for last year’s captain election The team could see a leader emerge, and Mayfield was one of them, beating out Kyle Trask for the starting quarterback spot. Mayfield will be the Buccaneers’ captain for the second time after serving one season with Cleveland and one with Carolina before joining Tampa Bay last offseason.

Baer, ​​also 29, will serve as a captain for the third straight season. He was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2018 and has steadily developed into one of the veteran leaders of the Buccaneers’ defense. In a young front seven that includes second-year players Kalidja Kamsi, Yaya Diaby, Marquise Watts and Jose Ramirez and rookie Chris Braswell, Baer (and 33-year-old Will Gholston) are one of the few experienced players in the group.

And finally, two current (and future) franchise cornerstones were named team captains for the second consecutive year: First-time captain Tristan Wirfs will once again wear the “C” in 2023;

Buccaneers LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

The 25-year-old three-time Pro Bowler signed a major contract extension with the Buccaneers this offseason and will be a key part of the team’s offensive line for years to come. He’s also developed into a capable leader and will likely be one of the team’s captains year after year.

All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who was drafted after Wirfs’ first round in 2020, will also serve as a captain for a second time in 2024. Winfield is coming off a great season in which he was not selected to the Pro Bowl but was named to the All-Pro first team, and is a player who has shown more leadership potential in 2023. He wasn’t afraid to speak up In the locker room, he also signed a long-term contract extension this offseason and is another player the Buccaneers can count on for years to come.

The only surprise regarding the Buccaneers’ captains this year is that wide receiver Chris Godwin, who is in the final year of his contract, was not given the “C” role, moving to six. The team also did not have a special teams captain in 2023, but Godwin and linebacker Devin White served as the seventh and eighth captains. There appear to have been several candidates. He was expected to replace White as captain this year in case the team had to play with eight men, but that didn’t happen.

Still, under the guidance of veteran players Evans and David and the young captain, Tampa Bay’s locker room leadership should be in good shape. The 2024 Bucs are going to be one to watch in 2024.

Buccaneers captains LB Lavonte David, WR Mike Evans, QB Baker Mayfield, S Antoine Winfield Jr., DT Vita Via and LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR