The opponents on the Bucs’ 2023 schedule were finalized when the 2022 regular season came to an end. But they now know when they’ll find out the order they’ll see those opponents, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning that the NFL is targeting Thursday, May 11 for its schedule release date.

The league — unsurprisingly — has turned its schedule release day into a big event over the years. There will be a schedule release show on NFL Network (which was teased as “coming soon” throughout draft weekend), though schedules typically begin to leak out throughout the day.

Coming off of an 8-9 season and a first-round playoff exit at the hand of the Cowboys, the Bucs are ushering in a new era this fall. With Tom Brady retired (for good this time) and several longtime contributors out the door as cap casualties, Tampa Bay will have a new look in 2023.

Kyle Trask, the Bucs’ 2021 second-round pick, will have to fend off newcomer Baker Mayfield — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 Draft — for the right to replace Brady at quarterback. Whoever wins the job will be operating a new-look offense, as former Seahawks quarterbacks coach Dave Canales is the team’s new offensive coordinator after the firing of Byron Leftwich in January.

The Bucs were successful in retaining three of their highest-profile free agents in Lavonte David, Jamel Dean and Anthony Nelson. They also signed Mayfield, Chase Edmonds, Greg Gaines and Ryan Neal as free agents before drafting Calijah Kancey, Cody Mauch and YaYa Diaby in the 2023 Draft.

Bucs Know Their Opponents For 2023

Bucs S Antoine Winfield, Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

For now, the Bucs only know who they’ll be facing this fall and where they’ll be facing them. The order and kickoff times will come on May 11, but Tampa Bay already knows it faces five teams that appeared in last year’s playoffs.

The Bucs will see the Jaguars and defending NFC Champion Eagles at Raymond James Stadium, while meeting with the Vikings, 49ers and Bills away from home.

Outside of those teams, Tampa Bay will obviously have its six NFC South games, with a home and away game each against the Panthers, Saints and Falcons. The rest of the slate includes the Bears, Lions and Titans at home and the Packers, Texans and Colts on the road.

With the NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, the Bucs know which of the top rookies they’ll see across the field from them this fall, too. Within the division, they’ll see No. 1 pick Bryce Young (Panthers) and No. 8 pick Bijan Robinson (Falcons) twice. Nos. 2 and 3 picks C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. (Texans), No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson (Colts) and Nos. 9 and 30 picks Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith (Eagles) all highlight the schedule as well. The Bucs will avoid Aaron Rodgers in the regular season now, with the Packers trading him to the Jets this offseason.

Tampa Bay Likely To Have Fewer Primetime Games On 2023 Schedule

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

With Brady gone, the Bucs are sure to see a step down in nationally televised primetime games this season. When the greatest quarterback of all time arrived in 2020, the team originally was scheduled for five primetime games (though a Sunday Night Football game at Las Vegas ended up being moved to an afternoon kickoff due to COVID-19).

In 2021, the Bucs were coming off of a Super Bowl season and they still had both Brady and Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski. As a result, they once again had five primetime games. That slate included a two Thursday night games, two Sunday night matchups and a Monday night contest.

The 2022 season saw Tampa Bay play another five primetime games (three Sunday nights, a Thursday night and a Monday night), plus an international game in Munich, Germany.

But now, Brady has retired and the Bucs — at least nationally — are back to being an afterthought. The addition of Mayfield, who is a former top draft pick with some primetime-caliber personality, could help. The fact that the Bucs are the defending NFC South champions and play some big-time opponents could make a difference too. But overall, it’s fair to expect Tampa Bay’s exposure on a wider scale to decline when the 2023 schedule drops in less than two weeks.