In February, Baker Mayfield‘s Bucs dropped a bombshell by bringing Jon Gruden back into the team’s Ring of Honor. Not long ago, they had kicked him out for using some pretty offensive language in emails to an NFL executive. They stated, “Jon Gruden was initially inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor based on his many accomplishments during his seven seasons as our head coach. And he remains a significant figure in the history of our franchise.” After some soul-searching, they decided to put his name back up there.

Fast forward to this week, and they pulled a move right out of a TV drama. On Tuesday, the Bucs’ official page shared a cool video on their X handle. In the clip, a giant gift box appears with Jon Gruden looking all kinds of surprised as he takes the gift. The caption read, “To: Coach Gruden, From: Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unbox the 2025 schedule tomorrow.” So, basically, tomorrow’s the big reveal.

Jon Gruden has resurfaced in the spotlight with his new role at Barstool Sports. Many forget—or never knew—that he’s a Super Bowl-winning head coach. He had strong years with the Oakland Raiders in the early 2000s and led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a championship in 2002, collecting two more division titles before stepping away from coaching in 2008 to join Monday Night Football. He stayed there for a decade before returning to the Raiders in 2018.

Things unraveled in 2021 when a scandal involving inappropriate emails forced his resignation. Gruden stepped out of the public eye until Barstool Sports brought him back, where he now shares football insights and showcases his deep knowledge of the game.

One Reddit user believes Gruden still has what it takes to coach in the NFL: “As crazy as it sounds, I’m of the mindset that Gruden could still be a top 15–20 coach in the league right now if he got another shot. He just needs an actual GM to get him some good players this time around.”

It’s not an outlandish claim. Gruden has pulled off comebacks before, and the email controversy is starting to fade from public memory. Even the Buccaneers, who removed him from their Ring of Honor, have now reinstated him.

The Reddit comment highlights Gruden’s work with Derek Carr between 2018 and 2021. Excluding the injury-plagued final season, Carr had his best passer ratings under Gruden in 2019 and 2020—arguably the peak of his career.

With Gruden back in the conversation and the Buccaneers moving forward with Baker Mayfield, the NFL drama continues. Perhaps with more twists ahead.

Countdown to Kickoff: Baker Mayfield’s Atlanta game

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been on a roll, bagging four consecutive NFC South division titles. Each of those winning seasons kicked off with a couple of victories right out of the gate. Despite facing some challenges in all those seasons, the Bucs bounced back from midseason slumps. They pushed their way into playoff contention in both 2023 and 2024. Sure, early wins don’t mean more than December wins, but they definitely give a team a leg up.

So, who’s going to try to snap the Bucs’ season-opening streak in 2025? We’ll find out officially when the NFL releases the full 272-game schedule during a prime-time event on Wednesday. For now, let’s take a wild guess at that Week 1 opponent with three (hopefully) smart predictions. Most notably, Baker Mayfield might first face the Falcons.

After losing to Atlanta twice last season due to a weak pass defense, the Buccaneers will get an early chance at redemption. According to JoeBucsFan.com, Tampa Bay is set to open the 2025 season at home against the Falcons on Sunday, September 7.

Here are the Bucs’ 17 opponents:
Home – 49ers, Cardinals, Eagles, Falcons, Jets, Panthers, Patriots, Saints
Away – Bills, Dolphins, Falcons, Lions, Panthers, Rams, Saints, Seahawks, Texans

The NFL schedule has the Eagles hosting the Cowboys in the NFL Kickoff Game on Thursday night, so they are out for Week 1. That makes a visit to Tampa that same weekend unlikely. In previous years, international games and other conflicts eliminated some matchups. But this season’s schedule is less predictable. Still, the Bucs are leaning toward the Falcons as the likely opener—part logic, part hopeful guess.