When the Bucs players return, Antonio Brown is visibly absent

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t have a winning culture. The franchise itself is not a winner. There have been some winning teams in the history of this franchise, but not enough to call it a winning franchise. Again.

This culture of victory exists in the current version of the Buccaneers franchise as it did twenty years ago. In between, well, the culture was diverse as it resulted in equally disappointing results time and time again.

When Bruce Arians arrived, the swagger came with him. The quarterback’s whisperer brought an expectation of victory. The Arians don’t train just to train. He trains to win.

So when the team brought Tom Brady on board during the 2020 offseason, it was a coup. A gesture to move the team forward in a winning direction. No time to wait for the sails to catch the wind. The team needed nitrous. And Brady threw them all the way to Super Bowl 55.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one. Other players also participated. Leonard Fournette was another newcomer who has played a valuable role on several occasions during the season, but especially in the home stretch.

Shaquil Barrett, two years away from being a Denver Broncos replacement. Ndamukong Suh, the fellow defensive lineman who was stylistically and opposite to the style of play of previous Buccaneers linemen, in a bad sense – to some.

Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Ryan Succop, Lavonte David and Antonio Brown were an integral part of the winning culture forged during the most unique season of all. And they all did it on expiring contracts.

So far, all of the starters have returned. Make deals favorable to the team, with the sole exception of Godwin on the franchise label, which cannot be negotiated. Some of the other transactions are dollar friendly, and some are terms.

The band is back for another tour. Now they just need the backing singers. Andrew Adams flew to the Philadelphia Eagles. Ryan Smith left for the Los Angeles Chargers in search of special team glory and a defense role.

It’s never fun to see players like Adams and Smith go, but it’s part of the business. There is nothing fancy. What is out of the ordinary, or at least beyond what is expected, is the absence of Antonio Brown for the new tour card.

We don’t have to tell you about Brown. Bounced back from the Pittsburgh Steelers in the middle of a Hall of Fame-caliber career, signed with the Oakland Raiders only to leave under a storm cloud covering the drama. Outside the legal field and even less discouraging than the legal questions. Then to the New England Patriots for one game, which ultimately led to his ban for half of the 2020 NFL season.

On his return. The head coach who firmly resisted bringing Brown into his winning culture, over the alleged deliberation and endorsement of his Hall of Fame quarterback, allowed Brown to join a train halfway through of the trip to Tampa, Florida in February.

The culture the Arians speak of when commenting on the readiness and willingness of so many serene and relieved players to return to the squad, welcomed Brown with open arms as so many wanted to leave him in the cold of professional football. A stranger, because he chased himself away.

Now the Buccaneers have reportedly offered Brown the chance to return for another seat at the dinner table. Another chance to show that he can behave. This time for a full season.

So what is the heist? Brown is. At least according to reports.

Coach Arians was asked about the large receiving pool specifically during Tuesday’s media session by The Athletic’s Greg Auman,

“There are deals out there,” Arians said. “We’ll just see how it goes.”

The question now is, what is Brown waiting for? The same man who said on Instagram not so long ago that he and Fournette would ‘find a solution’ with the Bucs is now leaving the franchise, which has not only given him a chance to recoup his declining career in the NFL, but also to become a Super Bowl champion. , waiting?

Brown won’t find a better chance of winning. He won’t find a better group of teammates to pick him up, nor a quarterback who believes in him as much as Brady has already shown.

So it seems to me that he is looking for more money or that he likes to be the last loose thread. Either way, I hope the Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t plan to wait too long for a player who needs them more than they need. Especially with a new class of talented receivers set to enter the NFL who would love to play with Godwin, Mike Evans, Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson.

Or maybe AB really wants to come back, but the Bucs want Larry Fitzgerald and are waiting for his decision. Yeah, it’s that time of year, folks.