TAMPA, Fla. -- While the NFL's annual free-agency period in March typically involves pillaging the roster of the defending Super Bowl champion, with players eager to capitalize on their individual success and leave for a big contract, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers somehow managed to “keep the band together.”
They’re returning all 22 starters on offense and defense and three of four starters on special teams from their Super Bowl LV victory -- the most of any team in NFL history since the current free-agency system began in 1993, a measure designed to create more competitive balance in the NFL.