The Super Bowl win of February 2021 was historic for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the second championship win in the franchise’s history and the first time a team won the Lombardi Trophy at their home stadium. Fast forward to 2026, the Bucs are going on a 0-4 losing streak, trailing behind the other NFC South contenders. Looking back at the team’s glory days, one former Buccaneers running back couldn’t help but reminisce about the years Tom Brady was a part of the team.
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Former NFL star Leonard Fournette posted a picture of himself and his Bucs teammates playing at Lucas Oil Stadium during the 2021 season on Instagram on October 6. He wrote about how he missed the qualities that defined the Tampa Bay team when Tom Brady was their quarterback.
“Miss my boys man only if we could rewind the time and have a few more seasons together, we showed grit, teamwork, honor, love, loyalty……. Super Bowl champs,” Fournette wrote.
The picture shared by Leonard Fournette shows Fournette, Tom Brady, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin together in their Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniforms on the field. They appear to be walking together during a game, with Fournette wearing No. 7, Evans No. 13, Brady No. 12, and Godwin No. 14.
This image captures the group during the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl-winning era, which fits Fournette’s caption about missing his former teammates and wishing they could have had “a few more seasons together.”
Leonard Fournette, Tom Brady, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin were part of a strong Buccaneers group that found plenty of success together. Their time in Tampa Bay ended with a Super Bowl LV victory, making that stretch a memorable one for the four players and their team.
In addition to that, the former RB has often spoken highly about Brady’s capacity as a leader and a quarterback, who joined the Buccaneers the same year as him in 2020.
“For the first time in my life, I really have a quarterback,” the RB said about Brady.
During their time playing together, the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s effect on Fournette was palpable. He even changed his decision to join the Patriots and returned to the Bucs in 2022 after Brady decided to return from retirement, citing “unfinished business”.
Although the season ended with Tampa Bay’s elimination in the NFC Wild Card Round of the 2022 season, the RB’s admiration for the veteran QB did not diminish. He truly believed in Brady’s “monotony of excellence” philosophy, which suggested that consistently working on the little things day after day was what ensured flawless execution during actual games.
Tom Brady played a major role in reviving the Buccaneers’ championship dreams, fostering a mentality where the team approached every practice with game-day intensity.
When Brady joined soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimović for an exclusive FOX Sports feature titled ‘GOATS on Greatness’ ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Brady explained why he wanted players to get used to playing under pressure, even during practices.
“If you’re gonna break in practice, you’re gonna break in the game. if you’re gonna break in front of no fans, you’re gonna break in front of 70,000 fans,” Brady told Ibrahimović. “I wanna pressure test you early. if you break, I don’t need you anyway,” Brady added during the FOX Sports feature. “If it’s in you, let’s go. you’re my team, let’s ride. If you’re not, get the f*** out.”
His evaluation could be brutal. But Brady knew that whether a player could continue to perform under such intense pressure was proof of their reliability. That is exactly the kind of grit Fournette believes the team is lacking this season.
The Buccaneers have gone through a major change since the Tom Brady years. From 2020 to 2022, Tampa Bay was built to win immediately, with Brady leading an offense that could attack defenses downfield while also making plays underneath. The expectations were simple: contend for the Super Bowl every season.
The current team looks different. With Zac Robinson leading the offense, Tampa Bay is building around younger players and versatile weapons such as Bucky Irving and Emeka Egbuka. Instead of entering each season as a clear Super Bowl favorite, the Buccaneers are now trying to navigate early-season struggles and work their way back to the top of the NFC South.
Fournette’s comment came after the Bucs lost 17-14 to the Green Bay Packers. One significant disadvantage that the team faced going into Week 4 was quarterback Baker Mayfield sustaining a thumb injury during the Week 3 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.
Mayfield dislocated his right thumb late in the September 27 game, and although he didn’t need surgery, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles announced that the quarterback will miss at least three weeks, depending on how fast he regains strength in his right hand, since it was his throwing hand.
With Mayfield out for the next few weeks, undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels started at quarterback in Week 4. But Daniels’ inexperience showed in the critical mistakes he made during the game. The Packers’ defense continued to pressure the rookie QB, especially with four consecutive blitzes that overwhelmed Daniels during his debut game.
With Mayfield away, Daniels would have to learn to deal with the opponent’s defense quickly to give Tampa Bay a chance to record its first win of the season, as they are currently sitting at a 0-4 record.