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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2026 Preview: Baker Mayfield, Vita Vea and Best Bets | Stephie Smalls Show (Ep 265)
Description
Stephie Smalls welcomes Buccaneers fan Jay Huffman, founder and CEO of Champ AI, for a complete 2026 Tampa Bay Buccaneers preview.
The episode begins with a suddenly chaotic Tampa Bay offseason. Vita Vea has requested a trade, Baker Mayfield is preparing to play under his current contract after the Buccaneers failed to reach an extension, and franchise icon Mike Evans has left the team.
Stephie and Jay examine whether these developments signal the beginning of an organizational collapse or could produce the perfect conditions for another Baker Mayfield revenge season.
They revisit Tampa Bay’s disappointing 2025 finish, including the staggering number of injuries suffered by Mayfield, the offensive line, the receiving corps and the secondary. Despite starting 6-2, the Buccaneers eventually lost the NFC South tiebreaker and ended a run of four consecutive division championships.
The discussion then turns to Todd Bowles’ job security, Tampa Bay’s defensive additions, the revamped secondary and a backfield featuring Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker. Jay also explains why Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan could become one of the NFL’s most underrated receiver combinations.
Finally, Stephie and Jay give their favorite Buccaneers futures and player props. Bets discussed include Tampa Bay over 7.5 wins, Baker Mayfield over 25.5 passing touchdowns, Emeka Egbuka over 900.5 receiving yards and Mayfield as a longshot to lead the NFL in touchdown passes.
Jay closes the show by explaining Champ AI, a sports app and group-chat companion offering live scores, highlights, trivia, statistics, betting research and fantasy advice.
Get your questions in for the next Ask Smalls Anything episode at SpeakPipe.com/StephieSmalls.
00:00 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2026 preview
00:49 Jay Huffman joins the show
01:17 Vita Vea and Baker Mayfield contract drama
03:12 Why Mike Evans left Tampa Bay
07:04 What went wrong in 2025
13:10 Todd Bowles’ hot seat
15:21 Breaking down the 2026 schedule
17:44 Buccaneers roster additions and losses
20:09 Tampa Bay’s defensive draft class
25:05 Rebuilding the secondary
27:52 Circa Sports NFL contests
28:12 Buccaneers win total and division odds
31:20 Tampa Bay’s potential organizational reset
34:59 Baker Mayfield passing touchdown bet
36:02 Tampa Bay’s underrated receivers
39:12 Emeka Egbuka receiving props
41:12 Jalen McMillan, Cade Otton and the backfield
43:38 Final Buccaneers predictions
45:09 Jay Huffman and Champ AI
46:55 Buccaneers over 7.5 wins
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