Just a couple of years ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in a locker room filled with veterans. Not only did players like Antonio Brown and Richard Sherman play the final years of their storied NFL careers for the Bucs, but Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady literally came out of retirement at different times in pursuit of another ring before hanging up their cleats for good. 

Now, Tampa Bay’s roster features just three players over the age of 30: Lavonte David [34], Will Gholston [33], and Mike Evans [31]. All three veterans were drafted by the Buccaneers and have been lifers with the organization. 

Throughout the past decade-plus, these Bucs lifers have experienced the lows of what it’s like to earn the No. 1 pick after a two-win season in 2014 and then the highs of winning a Super Bowl in 2020. 

Heading into the 2024 season, the Bucs roster is the second-youngest in the league with an average age of 25.6, alongside the Los Angeles Rams. Only the Green Bay Packers have a younger roster [24.96].

Bucs WR Mike H.O.F. Evans 

During training camp, Tristan Wirfs said to make sure when you address Mike Evans that the letters H.O.F. follow his name because he’s a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, and it’s hard to argue with him.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a player who has been more consistent than Evans since he entered the NFL in 2014. The Bucs drafted Evans No. 7 overall as a 21-year-old, and he’s dominated the league ever since. 

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

During a conversation with other NFL stars, Las Vegas Raiders superstar Davante Adams recently called Evans the most underrated wide receiver in the league.

“That’s a dude [who’s] doing stuff so quietly. That nobody ever did before,” Adams said of Evans. “I don’t understand how you could come in the league, play 10 years, [have] 10 1,000-yard seasons, and just sneakily keep climbing the charts, like he’s gotta be a year or two away from cracking that Top 10 all-time.”

As a rookie, Evans had 1,051 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Last year, in his tenth season, he looked as good as ever. Evans had 1,255 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns last season, making him the only player to start their career with ten consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, and in the process, he earned more respect from his peers.

In the NFL’s annual Top 100 rankings, players voted Evans the No. 26 best player in the NFL, the highest he’s ever been ranked in his illustrious career. He also received All-Pro honors for the second time in his career and made his fifth Pro Bowl.

At age 31, Evans is more respected than ever and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. So it’s no surprise that the franchise legend has remained on the roster even as it’s moved in a younger direction.

Bucs DT Will Gholston 

The only man on this list that isn’t considered a star, Gholston spent a career proving that slow and steady can win the race when it comes to longevity in the NFL. 

Across 11 seasons, the defensive end has complied 58 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks while starting in about 52 percent of his regular-season opportunities.

Bucs DL Will Gholston – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Though never a Pro Bowler, Gholston has been a pillar of the defensive line over the years, helping stifle the run and doing the dirty work of taking on tackle-tight end double-teams. At times, though, he’s shown an ability to get to the quarterback. In 2020, Gholston would lead the team with 20 quarterback hits during the regular season, and another four during the team’s Super Bowl run in the playoffs.

Starting just one game in 2023 [fewest of his career], last season was one of Gholston’s least productive seasons. However, the veteran still managed to accomplish a new career milestone by intercepting his first career pass. 

Despite his production dipping last season, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht still trusts the veteran to contribute along the defensive line.

“Will proved again this year what he’s capable of,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said after announcing the 53-man roster. “He’s just old Ironsides; he still can play.”

Bucs ILB Lavonte David

A three-time All-Pro who somehow has just one Pro Bowl on his resumé, David has been one of the best linebackers of his generation but has flown even more under the radar than Evans due to playing a non-skill position.

Since entering the league in 2012, nobody has more solo tackles than David’s 1,035. He and fellow draft classmate Bobby Wagner have arguably been the top linebackers of their era, with their stats almost mirroring one another when it comes to interceptions, pass deflections, and sacks, on top of the fact that they are both the top tacklers since entering the league in both solo and combined totals. 

However, despite the fact that David even exceeds Wagner by a wide margin in certain categories, such as forced fumbles and recoveries [28 and 18 vs. six and 10], their league-wide recognition has been different.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David and DT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Wagner has made 10 All-Pro teams and nine Pro Bowls in addition to being named as a member of the NFL’s 2010’s All-Decade Team, another list that David was snubbed from. 

When Tampa Bay drafted Devin White fifth overall in 2019, it seemed like he would be the one to take over David’s role as the veteran aged into retirement in the coming years. Now, David, 34, remains a Buccaneer, while White signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.

Last year, David recorded more combined tackles than he had since 2015 and the third most sacks of his career (4.5). Perhaps he isn’t as fast as he was when he entered the league, but he’s remained a reliable linebacker when it comes to pass coverage and hasn’t shown signs of old age yet. 

A surefire future member of the Bucs Ring of Honor and potential Hall of Famer, No. 54 is a living legend who has continued to defeat Father Time over the years. Until proven otherwise, expect him to continue leading this defense even though some of his teammates were in elementary school when he first made it to the league.