The Bucs have four players on their roster who have a cap hit north of $20 million. But make no mistake about it, arguably the best and most reliable player on the entire team is the placekicker, Chase McLaughlin.

“Money” McLaughlin has been one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL since joining the Bucs in 2023, converting 100-of-110 field goal attempts for a 90.9% hit rate. To further add to that, he’s an impressive 29-of-33 from 50 yards or more. Most of the time when McLaughlin steps up for a field goal attempt, you’re good to look away in full confidence.

Bucs K Chase McLaughlin – Photo by: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So, why didn’t head coach Todd Bowles trust him on the most important play of Sunday’s 17-14 defeat to the Green Bay Packers?

The play in question came with 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, Tampa Bay facing fourth-and-11 from the Green Bay 47-yard line. From there, it would have been a 65-yard field goal attempt for McLaughlin to tie and potentially send the game to overtime. Bowles appeared to think about it, but he opted to keep the offense — led by undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels making his first career start — on the field.

The result was a disaster sequence for Tampa Bay.

Whatever offensive coordinator Zac Robinson had drawn up for the biggest play of the game, it ultimately didn’t matter. Daniels was pressured immediately by an unblocked Evan Williams, the third consecutive play in which the Bucs allowed a free rusher to come through on Daniels.

With Williams clinging onto his legs, Daniels was forced to throw a harmless pass into a sea of players over the middle of the field that fell incomplete. It would be the Bucs’ final act of a game which saw them fall to 0-4 for the first time since 2013.

When Bowles stepped up to the podium moments after Tampa Bay’s latest defeat, the first question he faced was why he made the decision to go for it in that situation.

“We did (think about kicking a field goal). It was too far for us, a good 10-15 yards too far for us,” Bowles said. “The wind was blowing that way as well. We thought about it, we didn’t feel good about it.”

Chase McLaughlin Has Been Money For Bucs From Long Distance

“A good 10-15 yards too far for us” is an interesting way to explain it as McLaughlin, as mentioned above, has been the most accurate kicker in the league from these distances. Just last season, McLaughlin set a single-season NFL record by converting 11 consecutive field goal attempts from 50 yards or more. McLaughlin is a perfect 9-of-9 this season on field goal attempts and 3-of-3 from 50 plus, with his long being a 59-yard make in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns.

But was 65 yards really too long for McLaughlin? Well, nearly one year to the day, Week 4 of the 2025 season against the Philadelphia Eagles, McLaughlin drilled one through the uprights from 65 yards out. At the time, it was the longest outdoor field goal in NFL history.

Even with the wind being a factor as Bowles mentioned, was the probability of McLaughlin making that field goal really lower than one of the most dysfunctional offenses in football with an undrafted rookie quarterback making his first career start picking up 11 yards?

Clearly, Bowles felt that way. Sure, perhaps McLaughlin misses the field goal and it falls five yards short. But at least the Bucs would have gone down trusting the most reliable thing they have going for them right now.

Instead, Bowles showed faith in his offense — a unit facing as many issues as any in the league currently.