

Among the key cuts were Davin Joseph, and Darrelle Revis. The primary goal was to reinstall the Tampa 2 defensive scheme that brought the club success during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Immediately after being named the new head coach, Lovie Smith began overhauling personnel. 185 overall) in a trade that sent wide receiver Mike Williams to the Buffalo Bills on April 4, 2014. The Buccaneers later acquired a new sixth-round selection (No. 183 overall) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for offensive tackle Gabe Carimi on June 9, 2013.

The Buccaneers traded their original sixth-round selection (No.221 overall) and a 2015 fifth-round selection to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for the Bills' 2014 fifth-round selection (No. The Buccaneers traded their seventh-round selection (No.104 overall) along with their 2013 first-round selection (13th overall) to the New York Jets in exchange for cornerback Darrelle Revis on April 21, 2013. The Buccaneers traded their fourth-round selection (No.

Following a 2-14 record, the Buccaneers finished last overall in the NFC and tied with the Titans for the worst record of the 2014 season, but was statistically (via a tiebreaker) the worst team in the 2014 NFL season, thus earning the right to the first overall pick in the 2015 draft. The Buccaneers tried to improve their record of 4–12 of last season, but failed after tying their number of losses when they lost to Carolina in Week 15. Glazer's family continues to run the team operations. It also marked the first season under new ownership since 1994, after longtime owner Malcolm Glazer died on May 28, 2014. It was also the first season under general manager Jason Licht, following the departure of Mark Dominik, after a disappointing 2013 season. It was also the first season under head coach Lovie Smith, replacing Greg Schiano, who was fired at the end of the 2013 season. The 2014 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 39th season in the National Football League.
