Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have rewarded coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht with multi-year contract extensions.

Brown, who played with Tampa Bay during its 2020-21 Super Bowl year, is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier.

Rice was a defensive force credited with 69.5 sacks over his six seasons in Tampa Bay. That includes a stellar Super Bowl XXXVII performance. His induction is Nov. 30 during halftime of Cardinals game.

After games at Atlanta and Houston, Tampa Bay hosts the New York Jets and NFL champ Philadelphia. The defending NFC South winners close with a three-game homestand and visits to Miami and Carolina.

He played in the shadow of his quarterback younger brother while they were coached by their father in college. However, he ended up in a favorable spot with Tampa Bay, which needs help in the secondary.

After selecting Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round, the Bucs worked to bolster their pass rush and secondary while signing massive Gators defensive tackle Desmond Watson — of Plant City — as an undrafted free agent.

Tampa Bay was thought to be leaning toward selecting a player to bolster its defense, but with Mike Evans about to turn 32 and Chris Godwin coming off ankle surgery, Egbuka was an easy choice.

Tampa Bay has managed to finish atop its division in recent years but needs to add talent to stay ahead of the pack. It will have that opportunity in the NFL draft, which runs Thursday through Saturday in Green Bay.

Tampa Bay has the 19th overall selection on Thursday night. That should allow plenty of time for family fun during the Bucs' annual draft party at Raymond James Stadium.

There have been no official proposals for what the Bucs will do once their lease ends in 2028, but ownership is talking about stadium improvements, not a replacement.

In addition to bringing back two of the most productive players in receiver Godwin and linebacker David, Tampa Bay added edge rusher Haason Reddick in free agency.

Gruden, who led Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl victory after the 2002 season, was inducted into the Ring of Honor in 2017 but removed four years later amid an email scandal.