The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have turned into an explosive offense. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were both 1,000-yard receivers in 2019 with Jamie’s Winston under center. The Bucs have significantly improved that position during the offseason.
The Bucs signed Tom Brady to a two-year deal in March. He will have plenty of weapons to work with. Aside from Godwin and Evans, the Buccaneers feature a trio of pass-catching tight ends. Rob Gronkowski was lured out of retirement to join his old teammate from New England. O.J. Howard is slowly emerging as a star and Cameron Brate has shown sides of being solid.
With Bruce Arians running the offense, they will be aggressive and fast-paced. The receivers on this list benefited from an aggressive style of play calling. The Bucs will have the best quarterback of all time under center in 2020. If he was throwing to these receivers, it would be a show.
Here are the top five receivers in Buccaneers history.
5. Keyshawn Johnson
Johnson burst onto the scene immediately upon entering the league with the New York Jets. After four years in New York, Johnson was traded to the Buccaneers for two first-round picks. At 28 years old, Johnson signed an eight-year, $56 million deal with Tampa Bay.
Johnson came to the Bucs and caught eight touchdowns in his first season in 2000. Over the next two years, Johnson would go over 1,000 yards. He finished with 106 catches for 1,266 yards in 2001 but scored just one touchdown. In 2002, he was a main part of a Bucs’ team that finished 12-4 and at the top of the NFC South. In the playoffs, Johnson caught 14 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown as the Bucs picked up three blowout victories on their way to a Super Bowl championship.
After four years in Tampa Bay, the breakup between the Bucs and their star receiver was ugly. Johnson was discouraged after a 4-6 start in 2003 and would not play for the rest of the season. This was the last time he would wear a Bucs’ uniform. Johnson finished his career by playing two years with the Dallas Cowboys and one year with the Carolina Panthers.
Johnson is seventh all-time on the Bucs receiving yards list. He put up an incredible two-year span in Tampa Bay and was apart of a championship team. Despite the unfortunate ending to his tenure, Johnson is a big-time name that helped the Bucs during his time in the uniform.
4. Joey Galloway
Galloway and Johnson are connected in Bucs’ history. After Johnson sat out the end of the 2003 season, he was sent to Dallas and Tampa Bay received Galloway in a swap after he agreed. Galloway was a nine-year veteran with Dallas and the Seattle Seahawks before he arrived in Tampa Bay.
In year one, Galloway missed six games and was limited to 416 yards and five touchdowns. From 2005-2007, Galloway would have one of the best three year stretches in Bucs’ history. His receiving totals were 1,237 yards, 10,57 yards, and 1,014 yards. He would catch 23 touchdowns in three years and be targeted 393 times. Galloway averaged 15.8 yards per reception during his time in Tampa Bay.
During his career, Galloway eclipsed 10,000 yards as a receiver. He logged 3,912 yards and 28 touchdowns with the Bucs. Galloway was another big name veteran that joined the Bucs and made an immediate impact.
3. Vincent Jackson
Jackson is another veteran receiver that landed with the Buccaneers late. He spent seven years with the San Diego Chargers before signing a five-year, $56 million deal with the Bucs. Jackson was coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2011 with San Diego and added another one during his first in Tampa Bay.
In 2012, Jackson finished with 72 catches for 1,384 yards and eight touchdowns. He led the league with 19.2 yards per reception. Jackson would follow that up with a career-high 78 catches for 1,224 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2014, Jackson logged yet another 1,000-yard season with the Bucs but his touchdown production fell to just two. Over the final two years of his contract, Jackson dealt with injuries. He played just 15 games in 2015 and 2016 before his contract was up.
Jackson is currently fourth on the Bucs’ all-time receiving list with 4,326 yards. He was one of the most dominant receivers in franchise history and that was obvious from the day he arrived. Jackson was a popular fantasy player during his time in Tampa Bay because of his reliability.
2. Kevin House
Final a player that Tampa Bay drafted. They selected House in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft. As a rookie, House started just one game but caught five touchdowns. In 1981, he took over as a true No. 1 receiver.
House caught 56 passes for 1,176 yards and nine touchdowns in his second season. This was an average of 21 yards per reception. After missing time with injuries in 1982, House would play in and start all 16 games for the next three years. He would log one 1,000 yard season and catch 15 touchdowns. House was a big play receiver for the Buccaneers. He spent seven years with the team and averaged 17.2 yards per reception.
In 1986, House played seven games with the Bucs before being shipped to the St. Louis Rams. House is currently third on the Bucs’ receiving list with 4,928 yards and caught 32 touchdowns during his tenure.
1. Mike Evans
The Bucs selected Evans with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. The 6’5, 230-pound receiver wasted no time in proving that he is a physical force and would dominate for years to come. At age 26, Evans is already the best receiver in franchise history and leader in receiving yards (7,260), receptions (462), and receiving touchdowns (48).
As a rookie, Evans caught 68 passes for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns. He put up his best season in 2016 with 96 catches for 1,381 yards and 12 touchdowns. He set a career-high in 2018 with 1,524 receiving yards. In six years with the Bucs, Evans has missed just six games. He has gone over 1,000 yards in every season and has been targeted at least 118 times every year. Evans is a three-time Pro Bowler and considered one of the top receivers in football.
In 2020, Evans will have the luxury of catching passes from Brady. We have seen what Brady has done when he has dominant receivers on the outside. Evans is certainly that type. On draft night in 2014, the Bucs expected Evans to be a star when they selected him seventh overall. He has been that and then some.
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