Just as the Bucs will look much different when they take the field in 2026, Raymond James Stadium will also have a much different look later this summer and into the fall. No, I’m not talking about stadium renovations, as all has gone quiet on that front (for now) and any work is still a ways off as negotiations between all parties continue.

What I’m talking about – as I usually am around this time of year – are the murals on each corner of Raymond James Stadium. In the past, it’s typically been pretty easy to pick out which players would be featured on these murals. Even ahead of the 2025 season, the team’s 50th anniversary season, I wrote about the possibility of pairing one current Bucs player with a Bucs legend for each corner of the stadium, and that’s exactly what the team did.

Linebackers Lavonte David and Derrick Brooks were on the northwest corner, quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Doug Williams adorned the southwest, while defensive backs Antoine Winfield Jr. and Ronde Barber and offensive stars Mike Evans and Jimmie Giles were on the southeast and northeast corners, respectively. It was a fantastic nod to the franchise’s history for its 50th season, and those murals have remained up ever since the season ended.

So, that’s what sparked the question in my brain: Who gets featured on those murals this season? Every time I’ve driven by Raymond James Stadium on my way to One Buc Place for the draft, OTAs or mini-camp (and even on the day I headed up to the stadium to watch the England National Team in a pre-World Cup friendly), I’ve begun to wonder.

Because while the locks have been relatively obvious in the past, that doesn’t really feel like the case this year. Let me explain.

With Two Bucs Icons Gone, Two Mural Spots Are Up For Grabs

Year in and year out, Mike Evans and Lavonte David were absolute locks to be featured on different corners of the Bucs’ home stadium. Two of the longest-tenured players in Tampa Bay history and two of the best, Evans and David were foregone conclusions whenever this topic came up in the past.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David and WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today

But in 2026, there’ll be a changing of the guard. Evans left in free agency, signing with the 49ers to end his 12-year tenure with the Bucs. Not long after, David retired from the NFL after 14 seasons – all of which were spent in Tampa Bay’s red, white and pewter.

So, with two Buccaneer icons departing in one offseason, that leaves two major spots open both in terms of team leadership and the organization’s marketing strategies. Who fills those roles on a leadership front is something we’ve already begun to see as the offseason program has gone on, and those answers will continue to solidify during training camp and into the regular season.

As far as who replaces Evans and David as two of the main faces of the franchise? That’s an answer we’ll only get when the stadium crew begins installing these murals in July.

Two Bucs Are Locks, But Who Joins Them?

Even with Mike Evans and Lavonte David gone, there are still a couple of locks – one strong, one relatively strong – as far as who will be featured on the corners of Raymond James Stadium this year. On the one hand, you know Baker Mayfield is an absolute lock. He’s the franchise quarterback and a $100 million man who will presumably be signing an even bigger deal to remain in Tampa Bay sooner or later. He’s the unquestioned face of the franchise now that two longtime Bucs are gone, and he’s an easy pick to represent the team on the stadium.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin Jr. and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

The other player who seems to be a pretty strong lock for a stadium mural in 2026 is wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr., as he has long been in Evans’ shadow and now becomes the leader of the wide receiving corps on his own. Godwin is coming off a down year, but the hope is that another year removed from the season-ending ankle injury he had in 2024, he’s back to being more of himself in his age-30 season.

Even if he isn’t, he’s an easy pick for a stadium mural considering he’s certainly established himself as the second-best receiver in franchise history – behind only Evans – and he deserves his own shine now that Tampa Bay’s all-time leading receiver is elsewhere.

So, if Mayfield and Godwin are locks, who joins them? It ultimately comes down to the layout the organization goes with this year. If the Bucs stick to two players per corner, that opens up several more spots than if they’re sticking to one player per.

The leading candidates after Mayfield and Godwin would likely be Pro Bowl-caliber defenders from the Super Bowl LV season in Antoine Winfield Jr. and Vita Vea, right? And if you’re sticking to one player per corner, that gives you an even split of two offensive and two defensive players.

Perhaps there are some dark horse candidates as well, including All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, fan favorite running back Bucky Irving, emerging young safety and potential captain Tykee Smith and another potential defensive captain and marketable young pass rusher in Yaya Diaby.

Inside linebacker Alex Anzalone, signed this offseason as a free agent, could also be in consideration. Although with so many familiar faces to choose over him, perhaps he’s a longshot.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby and NT Vita Vea – Photo by: USA Today

As always, my preferred course of action for the Bucs would be to pair players up and have two on each corner of the stadium. If that’s the way they go with it, my pitch would be something like Mayfield and Godwin on one and Irving and Wirfs on another to represent the offense, with Vea and Diaby as one pair and Winfield and Smith as another pair to represent the defense.

Soon enough, we’ll know. Hawk-eyed fans and the always-vigilant Greg Auman will certainly have their eyes out as the murals begin to pop up in July, and Pewter Report (specifically yours truly) will be on the lookout as well.

But for now, who are your picks to represent the Bucs outside Raymond James Stadium this season, Pewter People? Let us know in the comments.