The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a tumultuous 2022 offseason. For a point in time, it seemed like they were set for a lengthy rebuild after two short winning seasons under Tom Brady's leadership. And then in the blink of an eye, they were a contender again, as if nothing had ever happened.

The Bucs are once again Super Bowl contenders as we head into the 2022 NFL season, and that's largely due to the work the front office put in this offseason. Tampa couldn't repeat as champions last season, as they ended up losing in the NFC Divisional Round to the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Rams. But they loaded up this offseason, and appear set to challenge again in a weakened NFC conference.

But what moves could end up having the biggest pay out for the Buccaneers? Let's take a look at the three best moves Tampa Bay made this offseason that could end up leading them to another Super Bowl ring.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers best offseason moves

3. Trading for Shaq Mason

The Buccaneers offensive line seemed set to take a real hit this offseason. Ryan Jensen, Alex Cappa, and Aaron Stinnie were all free agents, and it was unlikely all three were going to re-signed. Making matters worse, Ali Marpet unexpectedly retired, creating a big hole at the right guard position that needed to be filled.

Jensen and Stinnie re-signed, but Cappa ultimately ended up signing with the Cincinnati Bengals, meaning Tampa Bay needed to find a new guard, and badly. Enter Shaq Mason from the New England Patriots. Sensing that Mason was due for an extension that he didn't want to pay, Bill Belichick flipped Mason to the Bucs for a fifth-round pick to help free up some salary cap space.

The fifth-round pick might have been a giveaway, but this was deal was a steal for the Buccaneers. Mason is one of the best guards in the league, and he will now be reunited with his old teammate Brady from their days in New England. In terms of fit and price, you can't ask for a much better deal.

Mason should prove to be the perfect replacement for Cappa, and the Bucs o-line appears to have avoided a potential catastrophe for the time being. Protecting Brady is going to be key, and reuniting him with his old friend in Mason should help keep TB12 standing upright for most of the season.

2. Re-signing Chris Godwin

A big reason the Buccaneers fell apart down the stretch last season was because they were running low on playmakers. Scotty Miller was wildly ineffective after a breakout 2020 campaign, Antonio Brown threw a temper tantrum that got him released, and the tight end trio of Rob Gronkowski, Cameron Brate, and O.J. Howard usually ran hot or cold.

The biggest loss though was Chris Godwin, who tore his ACL in Week 15. Without Godwin, Mike Evans had to take on an even bigger workload, and it ultimately proved to be too much to overcome. With Godwin headed into free agency, many wondered whether him tearing his ACL was the last thing he would do in a Buccaneers uniform.

Tampa had a tough decision when it came to their franchise tag; they could use it on Godwin, or their top cornerback Carlton Davis. They used it on Godwin, and it turned out to be the right move. Godwin would have been out of Tampa's price range had he hit the open market, and Davis ended up re-signing in unrestricted free agency anyways.

Godwin's new three-year deal will keep him and Evans together as a top wide receiver duo for Brady to work with in 2022. The offense sputtered down the stretch without him, highlighting how important of an option he is alongside Evans. If the Buccaneers can stay healthy on offense, they will be tough to slow down, and Godwin figures to be play an instrumental role in Tampa's offensive success in 2022.

1. Convining Tom Brady to unretire

Remember at the beginning how I mentioned the Bucs were not a contender, and then suddenly were a contender again? It was because Brady retired, then promptly unretired, which changed the course of Tampa's offseason entirely. If there's a move that could put the Buccaneers over the top, it's having Brady under center.

How much persuading the Buccaneers organization actually did remains to be seen. But it's undoubtedly their biggest move of the offseason, and better yet, it cost virtually no money or resources to pull off.

With Brady under center, Tampa has proven to have Super Bowl potential. But without him, they are staring at yet another rebuild. Brady unretiring could not only determine whether or not the Bucs have a winning season, but whether or not they win a Super Bowl. That's how big of a move this was for the Buccaneers.

Now that he's back under center, anything is possible for the Buccaneers this season. They have balanced out their roster through free agency and the draft, and this may be the best supporting cast Brady has had at his disposal during his time in south Florida. But without Brady it wouldn't have mattered, which is why his unretirement is easily the biggest move that could push Tampa over the top in 2022.