The Bucs had one of the youngest rosters in the NFL last year. According to FTN Fantasy, the Bucs had the fourth youngest roster in the league as measured by snap-weighted age. The team figures to once again be one of the youngest rosters this year, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have talented steadying veterans to help lead the way. Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman put out his top 30 players over the age of 30 and two Bucs were featured.

Mike Evans

Mike Evans placed 10th on Wasserman’s list with him saying, “Evans recorded his 11th straight 1,000-yard season in 2024 and looked as sharp as ever doing it. Despite dealing with injuries, he posted a 90.2 receiving grade, the second highest of his career and tied with Amon-Ra St. Brown for fourth among qualified wide receivers.”

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today

Evans had a renaissance in 2024.

After the team lost Chris Godwin, the Bucs asked Evans to move out of his comfort zone and win in different ways. He responded with some of the best production of his career. He set a career high in catch rate and one of the most productive stretches of his career after returning from injury in week 12. With Godwin set to return in 2025 and the addition of rookie Emeka Egbuka, new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard will have an opportunity to turn Evans into a true chess piece as he tries for his record-setting 12th consecutive 1,000-yard season.

Baker Mayfield

Wasserman ranked Baker Mayfield 25th on the list, his first year of eligibility. Wasserman had high praise for the Bucs quarterback.

“Mayfield closed out his 20s with the best season of his career. His 85.9 PFF grade in 2024 ranked sixth among quarterbacks, and he finished top-five in yards per attempt, passing touchdowns and adjusted completion percentage. With a strong supporting cast in Tampa Bay, he’s set up well for continued success in 2025.”

Mayfield set career highs in passing yards, yards per attempt, touchdowns, rushing yards and yards per carry. Mayfield has found a home in Tampa Bay and put together his best season as a pro. As he enters his 30’s he looks to be reaching the peak of his powers. And with a couple of small and possible tweaks, he may still get better.

A Notable Omission

Perhaps the Bucs’ most famous elder statesman on the Bucs roster is Lavonte David. Coming off of his 13th season, David racked up 122 tackles, 5.5 sacks three forced fumbles in 2024. The sacks were the second highest of his career. But there is some credence to David’s play starting to decline at age 35. By PFF’s own grading, after seven straight years of earning grades of 70.0 or better, his 68.7 overall grade was his lowest since 2016 and his 59.5 coverage grade was the lowest of his career.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: USA Today

That coverage grade lines up with the struggles the Bucs had defending the middle of the field in 2024. But in a modern game that features very few elite linebackers, a position that is constantly picked on by NFL offenses, David still ranked 18th in the league among qualifying linebackers in overall grade. He was also tied for 12th in PFF’s stop rate metric and tied for 7th in average depth of tackle. While his coverage skills may be declining, David is still a plus run-fitter in a league that is increasingly moving back to a run-first mindset.

With the signing of Haason Reddick there are just two other players over the age of 30 guaranteed roster spots come the regular season. Cases could be made for both he and Vita Vea to be included on Wasserman’s list. This is all showing that while the Bucs have prioritized young and athletic players in recent years, they still keep roster spots open for premier talent on the other side of 30.