The Bucs celebrated their 50th season in a variety of ways, including finally inducting Simeon Rice into the Ring of Honor, which led many to believe the organization would continue to recognize franchise legends in the years ahead.

That will not happen in 2026.

Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud revealed as much on Tuesday morning, creating a significant missed opportunity as the list of deserving candidates continues to grow.

Why Not Induct Lavonte David Now? There Are A Couple Of Potential Reasons

As noted in Rick Stroud’s X post above, the Bucs had a prime chance to induct Lavonte David into the team’s Ring of Honor.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The decision not to just yet could be for a couple of reasons. Tampa Bay decided to wait until Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks were on their way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to induct them into the Ring of Honor. In Rondé Barber’s case, he had to wait until 2019 to be inducted, even though he retired in 2012.

The approach taken with Barber could likely be the path the team takes with David. Not because he isn’t a franchise great, but because the organization may believe waiting until David enters the Hall of Fame conversation — as it did with Barber and now appears to be doing with Simeon Rice — creates a more meaningful moment.

It would give his legacy the proper time to marinate after his tear-jerking retirement press conference and fitting send-off from the organization. It would also allow David’s career to receive the national appreciation it has long deserved.

Bucs Legends Are All For Hardy Nickerson Being Inducted

While several candidates deserve consideration, Hardy Nickerson has arguably the strongest case among those still waiting.

Nickerson came to Tampa Bay as a 28-year-old free-agent signing in 1993 and left an immediate imprint on the Bucs’ defense.

At the time, John Lynch was just a rookie, and it took a couple of years for reinforcements to arrive as Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, and Ronde Barber would soon join the fold. As those future Hall of Famers were just getting their feet under them, it was Nickerson’s veteran presence that set the tone for how dominant the unit would become.

Former Bucs LBs Hardy Nickerson and Derrick Brooks – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

His best statistical season came during his first year, as he recorded a jaw-dropping 214 tackles, which made him an easy first-team All-Pro selection. Over seven seasons with the team, Nickerson recorded 926 tackles, 16 forced fumbles, nine sacks, and seven interceptions while earning five Pro Bowl nods. Even though he did not stick around long enough to see the fruits of his labor, his impact was felt in the years after he moved on. By then, Lynch, Sapp, Brooks, and Barber all became stars, and Simeon Rice was the missing piece added in 2001.

It is easy for Nickerson to be forgotten about compared to the players above, but Mike Alstott and Tony Dungy do not see it that way. The legendary fullback and Hall of Fame head coach chimed in about him being a deserving Ring of Honor member appearing on the Pewter Report Podcast last week.

Former Bucs MLB Hardy Nickerson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Alstott, who saw him up close and personal on the opposite side of the football, believes he was vital to the team’s turnaround and recalled a great story when he first saw Nickerson in action.

“I think Hardy was an instrumental [part], especially when I got here as far as his leadership and mentality,” Alstott said. I remember this — 1996 we’re in training camp. We have our situations, right? We’re backed up, so we’re on the 1-yard line. [Jerry Ellison] was the starting fullback when I got here. This is the first or second day we put pads on, so we go through all those goal line [drills], backed up. Hardy comes downhill, and it’s an iso [run]. He just laid out [Jerry] — just laid him out.

“Hardy takes off his helmet; this is before Dungy got to him. Hardy takes off his helmet and slams it right there at the 3-yard line after he fricking laid out the fullback. Fricking earpads go flying and he’s just screaming, ‘Get me off the field before I kill someone!’ It was like, ‘Huh, this will be fun.’ That was the last antics you probably saw because coach Dungy snagged him up a little bit and said, ‘Hey, we don’t play that around here.’ Hardy was a great mentor, great leader…”

It may have taken some scaling back the intensity initially, but Dungy spoke about how Nickerson deserves to be inducted based on how much he impacted what would go on to be one of the best defenses in modern NFL history.

“I think he is deserving,” Dungy added. “He was the leader, that was one of the iconic defenses that was put together, and he was the leader of that group. I got here in ’96, he did play for me in Pittsburgh so he kind of knew the routine, he knew the expectations. It was very clear from the first day that I walked in the door, Hardy was the leader on that team, that group. We had some really good years, and unfortunately, he didn’t make it to that Super Bowl team, but I think he laid the foundation.”

What About The Voice Of The Bucs, Gene Deckerhoff?

With the exception of late owner Malcolm Glazer, all of the Bucs Ring of Honor inductees are either former players or coaches. While the group is mostly exclusive to that realm, that should not be something that keeps longtime radio play-by-play announcer Gene Deckerhoff out of the equation.

Deckerhoff, who hung up the headset after being the voice of the team from 1989 to 2025, has a unique place within team history. His iconic “Touchdown, Tampa Bay!”, “Fire the cannons!”, and even “Alstott up the gut!” spanned across five different decades and multiple generations of fans who grew up listening to him break down games.

Florida State, who he also called men’s basketball and football games for, recently named the radio booth inside Doak Campbell Stadium after Deckerhoff.

That honor could have played a part in Tampa Bay delaying his Ring of Honor induction for next year, but if they are to do it, there is no better time than now to properly recognize the 81-year-old’s contributions to the franchise.

5 Other Former Bucs Players Worth Considering

While Lavonte David, Hardy Nickerson, and Gene Deckerhoff should be among the next names to be inducted, they are not the only ones. These five former players also deserve some level of consideration.

James Wilder
Gerald McCoy
Ali Marpet
Tom Brady
Shaq Barrett

The names above are listed by how long they have been waiting.

Brady’s induction feels inevitable given his status as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. It would have been an understandable choice this season after being inducted into the Patriots Ring of Honor last year.

Former Patriots and Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: IMAGN Images

Wilder was a Bucs offensive staple in the 1980s and was the centerpiece of it for a couple of years, but he has been passed over numerous times, and one wonders if he will ever get in. McCoy preceded the 2020 Super Bowl team, but he was a bright spot for the team during the dark times of the 2010s alongside David. Marpet and Barrett were vital pieces in Tampa Bay winning its second Super Bowl, although they are in the next tier of names that will be in queue for a while.

Whether the next inductee is Lavonte David, Hardy Nickerson, Gene Deckerhoff or another franchise great, one thing is clear: leaving the Bucs Ring of Honor empty in 2026 is a massive, missed opportunity.