When Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020, he didn’t just bring his six Super Bowl rings. He brought a winning aura that changed everything. The Bucs, once a struggling franchise, suddenly had the NFL’s greatest QB. And Brady wasted no time shaping the team his way. By April, he convinced his old Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski to come out of retirement and join him. Then HC Bruce Arians later revealed, “It was Tom who was adamant about getting Gronk.” Even with pandemic restrictions limiting practice and a rough Week 1 loss, TB12 turned the season around, adding Antonio Brown to an already stacked offense. The result? We all know.

Former NFL star Osi Umenyiora noted, “He couldn’t have picked a better situation.” Arians called Brady “the missing piece” to a team that already had elite talent like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. But was Brady’s 2020 title team the best in Bucs history? Not according to franchise legend Derrick Brooks. Brady’s 2020 Buccaneers run was magical, ending a 13-year playoff drought and delivering a Lombardi Trophy to Tampa Bay. Many called it the franchise’s greatest team. But Hall of Famer Brooks just dropped a bombshell: Brady’s squad wasn’t even the best in Bucs history. Wait….what?

On the Born a Buccaneer podcast with Mike Evans, Brooks made his case clear when Evans asked, “I know y’all won the Super Bowl in ’02. Was that y’all’s best team, or were y’all better another year but didn’t walk away with the trophy?” Brooks didn’t hesitate, “I think ’99. Our ’99 team was humming, man… We were just that good.” That squad, led by Warren Sapp and a defense that suffocated opponents, held the high-flying Rams – the “Greatest Show on Turf” – to just 11 points in the NFC title game.

They nearly won, too, until the infamous Bert Emanuel rule overturned a critical catch. “We were winning 6–5 all the way up to… Remember that Bert Emanuel catch? Yeah, caught the ball, said it wasn’t a catch. Two weeks later, now that’s a catch. Wow,” Brooks recalled. While the 2002 Bucs (with Simeon Rice and Jon Gruden) finished the job, Brooks believes Tampa’s ’99 team had a rare edge: “We ain’t know no better… It was new to us. No expectations.“

So, in short, while Brady‘s 2020 team won it all, Brooks insists the ’99 squad, which fell just short, was more dominant. Now, it makes you wonder: what defines greatness – championships or pure dominance?

How Tom Brady made a believer out of Brooks

So, we already know Derrick Brooks believes his 1999 Bucs were Tampa Bay’s best team – but what’s fascinating is how his view of Tom Brady evolved. When Brady first arrived in Tampa in 2020, Brooks wasn’t buying the hype. During a Fox Sports Speak For Yourself appearance, he bluntly disagreed with Mike Evans calling Brady a “franchise changer” saying “My answer to that is no… It’s going to take everybody.”

The Hall of Fame LB spoke from experience. His legendary 2002 championship team required complete buy-in. “It just wasn’t Derrick Brooks or Warren Sapp… it was all of us collectively,” he stressed. Even noting their coaching change from Tony Dungy to Jon Gruden as proof that transformations need more than one star.

Then TB12 did the impossible. After watching TB12 end Tampa’s 13-year playoff drought and deliver a Super Bowl in his first season, Brooks’ tone shifted dramatically. Speaking to TMZ post-championship, his admiration shone through: “You’re talking about a man going to his 10th Super Bowl but still treating it as his first.” That veteran mindset – the way Brady remained “calm and poised” during struggles – clearly impressed the Bucs legend. “Tom’s presence and his experience have definitely made a difference,” Brooks acknowledged. Though he made sure to credit the entire team’s effort, too.

Here’s what makes this so compelling: Brooks still maintains the ’99 squad was Tampa’s most dominant team. But he can’t deny Brady’s unique impact. In just 18 months, the QB achieved what Brooks’ generation needed years to accomplish – instant validation. The numbers tell the story: pre-Brady, the Bucs were irrelevant; with Brady, they became champions. That’s why, regardless of where you rank the 2020 squad historically, Brady’s name now sits alongside Brooks’ in the Bucs pantheon – the ultimate proof that sometimes, one player really can change everything.