Click through to visit BillCurrieFord.com and see their extraordinary May discounts. Family-owned in Tampa since 1960! Bill Currie Ford general manager Sean Sullivan is ready to help you PERSONALLY and give you the famous Ira Kaufman discount. Don’t Worry, Drive Currie!
BY IRA KAUFMAN
The Buccaneers were overdue for some good fortune. Mission accomplished.
More exciting realities arrived this month for Bucs GM Jason Licht, writes Ira Kaufman.
Jason Licht and Todd Bowles must be living right. That’s the only logical explanation for the luck that has come their way in the past few weeks.
First, and most importantly, Rueben Bain was still available when Tampa Bay was on the clock with the 15th overall pick in the draft. Licht and his team must have run through dozens of simulations for the board through 14 selections — and very few had Bain falling to the Bucs.
Now Bain is out to punish every team foolish enough to pass him by. If Bain had been chosen before No. 15, Licht would have likely been tempted to trade down and still get a pass rusher like Akeem Mesidor, who went to the Chargers at No. 22.
Bain’s regular-season debut as a Buc is still almost four months away, but he looks the part of an accomplished quarterback hunter. His power and motor jump off the tape from the University of Miami and his demeanor suggests this is a serious man on a serious mission.
This past week marked another blessing as the NFL schedule maker tossed the Bucs a few more bones.
Bowles, Licht and the Glazers should have few quibbles with the slate just revealed.
While Baker Mayfield and company still have to go out and make things happen, nobody at One Buc Place has any right to blame the way the 2026 schedule unfolds.
Why should Buc fans smile? Let us count the ways.
* The Bucs won’t be on the road in successive weeks. The only time Tampa Bay faces back-to-back road games, there’s a bye week in between matchups at Chicago and Detroit. That’s a big deal … and it’s also quite rare. The last time the Bucs didn’t have to face road opponents in successive weeks came in 1991.
Yes, it’s been awhile. Vinny Testaverde was Tampa Bay’s quarterback and Licht was a sophomore guard at the University of Nebraska.
The road load is historically lighter, says The Sage.
* Speaking of the bye week, it will show up in Week 10 this fall. That’s just about perfect — not too early, not too late.
* The toughest stretch of the season — at Detroit, a Monday night home game vs. Carolina, the Chargers at home and a trip to Baltimore — comes directly after the bye week. Although the 2025 Bucs crumbled after their bye week, it’s supposed to be the pause that refreshes. In theory, you’re supposed to be at your best after a week off to rest, reflect and make adjustments.
* Thursday night road games are traditionally challenging and the Bucs will head to Dallas to open Week 5. But at least the Bucs will be home against Green Bay before heading out to Big D. That seems like a minute advantage, but it’s a lot better than returning from a road matchup on a Sunday and boarding another flight three days later.
* The Bucs don’t face a divisional opponent until Week 7. Given the odds three rookies will play significant roles on defense, it’s a plus for Bowles to have six games to evaluate an embattled unit that figures to have as many as five new starters.
This franchise was due for some good fortune after an injury-ravaged season that exposed major depth problems. While mandatory mini-camp is still a month away, this offseason couldn’t have gone much better for an organization that has a lot to prove to a teetering fan base.