Buccaneers vs. New York Jets 
THE OPPONENT LOG · NEW YORK JETS · Updated October 26, 2026
Clear the Runway. Load the Cannons.
The Captain arrived with a boarding pass, a treasure bag marked with a large X and a request for an upgrade to “First-Class Plunder.” The Parrot explained that these Jets require a defensive game plan, not a departure gate.
This is a series with a stubborn early headwind and a much happier recent flight path for Tampa Bay: 14 regular-season meetings, four Buccaneers victories and three straight wins. New York still leads the overall ledger, but the last three completed chapters belong to the pirate flag.
All games stay in the log. Dates, venues and scores appear whether or not a GameDay report was published. Only matching archive reports receive links.
Completed regular-season results through September 21, 2025. Home/away splits calculated from the ledger: Tampa Bay 3–3 at home and 1–7 on the road. Preseason is separate.
Sources: Complete Buccaneers–Jets results · Buccaneers: the early series and 1984 finish · Buccaneers: September 2025 postgame report.
Every Regular-Season Meeting
Scores always put Tampa Bay first. Home and away are from the Buccaneers’ perspective. Historical stadium names are retained; the road column correctly distinguishes the Jets’ New York and New Jersey eras.
All 14 regular-season games are shown.
| Game date | Season | Site | Stadium | Bucs result | TB–NYJ | GameDay archive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Away | Shea StadiumQueens, New York | Loss | 0–34 | GameDay report | |
| 1982 | Away | Shea StadiumQueens, New York | Loss | 17–32 | GameDay report | |
| 1984 | Home | Tampa StadiumTampa, Florida | Win | 41–21 | GameDay report | |
| 1985 | Away | Giants StadiumEast Rutherford, New Jersey | Loss | 28–62 | GameDay report | |
| 1990 | Home | Tampa StadiumTampa, Florida | Loss | 14–16 | GameDay report | |
| 1991 | Away | Giants StadiumEast Rutherford, New Jersey | Loss | 13–16 | GameDay report | |
| 1997 | Away | Giants StadiumEast Rutherford, New Jersey | Loss | 0–31 | GameDay report | |
| 2000 | Home | Raymond James StadiumTampa, Florida | Loss | 17–21 | GameDay report | |
| 2005 | Away | Giants StadiumEast Rutherford, New Jersey | Loss | 12–14 | GameDay report | |
| 2009 | Home | Raymond James StadiumTampa, Florida | Loss | 3–26 | GameDay report | |
| 2013 | Away | MetLife StadiumEast Rutherford, New Jersey | Loss | 17–18 | GameDay report | |
| 2017 | Home | Raymond James StadiumTampa, Florida | Win | 15–10 | GameDay report | |
| 2021 season · Week 17 | 2021 | Away | MetLife StadiumEast Rutherford, New Jersey | Win | 28–24 | — |
| 2025 | Home | Raymond James StadiumTampa, Florida | Win | 29–27 | — |
Sources: Complete Buccaneers–Jets results · Buccaneers: the early series and 1984 finish · Buccaneers: 2017 win over the Jets · Buccaneers: January 2022 comeback · Buccaneers: September 2025 postgame report.
Postseason: Tampa Bay and the Jets have not met in the NFL playoffs. The January 2, 2022 game was part of the 2021 regular season, not a playoff game.
September 21, 2025 · Buccaneers 29, Jets 27
Raymond James Stadium · Tampa, Florida. The Bucs led 23–6 entering the fourth quarter, only to watch New York take a 27–26 lead when Will McDonald IV returned a blocked field goal 50 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 remaining.
Baker Mayfield answered with a 48-yard drive. Emeka Egbuka’s 28-yard reception and Sterling Shepard’s 20-yard catch helped set up Chase McLaughlin’s 36-yard winning field goal as time expired. McLaughlin finished with five made field goals, and Tampa Bay escaped with its first 3–0 start since 2005.
Mayfield threw for 233 yards and a touchdown without an interception. Jamel Dean contributed a 55-yard interception return for a score, while Egbuka led Tampa Bay with 85 receiving yards.
The Captain had already begun counting the afternoon’s doblones when the blocked kick sent the ledger flying. The Parrot recovered it just in time to stamp the final entry: “Treasure secured. Blood pressure not included.”
Sources: Buccaneers: September 2025 postgame report · Buccaneers: 2025 rapid reaction.
2026 preseason—not part of the 4–10 record: Tampa Bay won 24–16 at MetLife Stadium on August 14, 2026. That exhibition is newer than the game above, but September 2025 remains the latest regular-season meeting. The published 2026 regular-season schedule does not pair these teams.
Sources: Buccaneers: 2026 schedule and preseason results · Jets: official schedule.
Three Victories Worth Locking in the Treasure Chest
A Wilder Farewell
The first Bucs win over the Jets was 41–21 at Tampa Stadium. John McKay’s final game as head coach also became famous for his attempts to get James Wilder another possession in pursuit of the league’s yards-from-scrimmage record. It was Lee Roy Selmon’s final Buccaneers season.
Six Sacks. No Boarding.
Six different Buccaneers recorded one sack apiece in a 15–10 victory. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s late touchdown pass to Charles Sims supplied the only Tampa Bay touchdown, ending the Bucs’ eight-game losing streak against the Jets.
Ninety-Three Yards to Escape
A late fourth-down stop gave Tom Brady the ball at his own seven. His 93-yard touchdown drive ended with a 33-yard pass to Cyril Grayson, producing a 28–24 win and Tampa Bay’s first road victory over the Jets.
Game details retained; no GameDay archive report is linked.
Sources: Buccaneers: 1984 season history · Buccaneers: the early series and 1984 finish · Buccaneers: 2017 win over the Jets · Buccaneers: six players, six sacks · Buccaneers: January 2022 comeback.
The series has its rough pages too, including New York’s 62–28 win in 1985. The Captain would prefer to file those under “weather damage.” The Parrot insists that a proper archive keeps the losses as well as the loot.
Opponent Briefing · New York Jets
- Franchise granted
- August 14, 1959, as an AFL charter franchise.
- First season
- 1960, as the Titans of New York.
- Jets name
- Adopted in 1963.
- Division
- AFL Eastern Division, 1960–1969; AFC East since the 1970 merger.
- Home stadium
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.
- First Bucs game
- November 14, 1976, at Shea Stadium.
- Championship peak
- 1968 AFL champions and winners of Super Bowl III, played in January 1969.
October 2026 Leadership Snapshot
- Chairman
- Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson
- General manager
- Darren Mougey
- Head coach
- Aaron Glenn
- Offense
- Frank Reich, offensive coordinator
- Defense
- Brian Duker, defensive coordinator
- Special teams
- Chris Banjo, coordinator
Glenn is in his second season as head coach. Reich and Duker joined as coordinators in 2026, giving this briefing a different lineup from the older Rex Ryan-era material.
Sources: Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jets team facts · Jets: how the Titans began · Jets: current coaching staff · Jets: front office · Jets: Aaron Glenn biography · Jets: Frank Reich appointed in February 2026 · Jets: Brian Duker biography.
Yes, these Jets have captains. The club announced six season-long captains for 2026: Geno Smith, Joe Tippmann, Demario Davis, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Harrison Phillips and Isaiah Williams. An old coaching preference should not be treated as a permanent franchise rule.
Captain Booty immediately volunteered to become the seventh. His application was returned because “expertise in treasure-bag security” was not a playing position.
Sources: Jets: six captains announced for 2026.
From One Sideline to the Other
Todd Bowles
Before leading Tampa Bay, Bowles was the Jets’ head coach from 2015 through 2018. He also began his NFL coaching career on New York’s staff in 2000. These matchups carry a familiar coaching connection, not just a different-colored helmet.
Keyshawn Johnson
In April 2000, Tampa Bay sent the Jets two first-round selections—Nos. 13 and 27—for Johnson. The move is a major chapter in the personnel history shared by the two clubs.
Darrelle Revis
Revis arrived in Tampa Bay via an April 2013 trade with the Jets and started all 16 games that season. “Revis Island” remains one of the most recognizable names on this two-team passenger manifest.
The quarterback reunion: the 2017 meeting featured former Jet Ryan Fitzpatrick starting for Tampa Bay and former Buccaneer Josh McCown leading New York. It was a familiar-face game ultimately decided by Tampa Bay’s defensive pressure.
Sources: Buccaneers: 2025 matchup connections · Buccaneers: the Keyshawn Johnson trade · Buccaneers: acquiring Darrelle Revis · Buccaneers: Revis’ 2013 Tampa Bay season · Buccaneers: 2017 win over the Jets.
The Captain heard “Island” and ordered the ship turned around. The Parrot informed him that man coverage is not a waterfront real-estate listing.
From the Titans to Gang Green
1959–1963 · Before the Flight Plan Changed
Harry Wismer’s New York franchise was part of the AFL’s original formation. The Titans began play in 1960 at the Polo Grounds; new ownership led by Sonny Werblin introduced the Jets name in 1963. These were the Titans of New York, not the franchise now known as the Tennessee Titans.
1968 Season · The Championship That Changed the Conversation
With Weeb Ewbank coaching and Joe Namath at quarterback, the Jets won the AFL championship and then defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. It remains the central championship chapter in the franchise’s history. The season belongs to 1968, although the Super Bowl was played in January 1969.
Sources: Jets: how the Titans began · Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jets team facts · Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jets history.
The Sack Exchange, Parcells & the January Runs
The early-1980s New York Sack Exchange gave the club a durable defensive identity. Bill Parcells later guided the Jets to the AFC Championship Game following the 1998 season. Rex Ryan’s teams reached that game in consecutive seasons, 2009 and 2010—another reason to distinguish a season’s label from the calendar date of a January playoff.
Those historical eras remain important, but they are not the present coaching staff. Glenn’s return in 2025 brought a former Jets first-round selection back as head coach, and the 2026 coordinator changes are recorded in the briefing above.
Sources: Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jets history · Jets: Aaron Glenn biography · Jets: current coaching staff.
A New York Name. A New Jersey Home.
Polo Grounds
The Titans and then the newly renamed Jets played their first four seasons in Manhattan. Tampa Bay did not yet have an NFL franchise.
Shea Stadium
The Queens ballpark hosted the first two regular-season Bucs–Jets games, in 1976 and 1982. Both belong in the New York era of the rivalry.
Giants Stadium
The Jets moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey. The stadium’s name belonged to their co-tenant, but Jets home games remained Jets home games.
Sources: Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jets stadium eras · Buccaneers: the early series and 1984 finish.
2010–Present · MetLife Stadium
Opened in 2010, MetLife Stadium is the shared home of the Jets and Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The venue lists a capacity of 82,500. It hosted the outdoor Super Bowl XLVIII and, more recently, the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final.
The historical game table uses the stadium in service when each contest took place. It does not relabel a 1976 visit to Shea as a trip to MetLife, nor move a Tampa Stadium game into Raymond James Stadium decades too early.
Sources: MetLife Stadium: venue history and facts.
The Captain’s roof inspection: two teams, one enormous stadium—and still no enclosed roof to tow back to Tampa. He offered a handful of doblones for “one lightly used weatherproof solution.” The Parrot purchased a poncho and charged it to research.
Green, White & the Jet Across the Helmet
The Historical Looks
The Titans’ navy-and-gold identity gave way to green and white when the club became the Jets. The white-helmet oval logo, the later green helmets with the jet-shaped wordmark and the subsequent throwbacks all belong to different design eras. The original images on this page remain archival illustrations, not photographs claimed to show the newest uniform.
2024 · The Legacy Collection
New York introduced the Legacy Collection in April 2024, drawing on the Sack Exchange era. Legacy green, white and black versions feature a refreshed jet wordmark, double shoulder stripes and single-stripe pants. The older claim that the 1998 design is still the current uniform has been replaced.
Sources: Jets: 2024 Legacy Collection.
2025 · Gotham City Football
The Gotham City Football Rivalries uniform was unveiled on August 28, 2025. Its darker, city-inspired treatment includes street-grid and manhole-cover influences, giving the alternate identity its own story rather than merely calling it another black jersey.
Sources: Jets: 2025 Gotham City Football uniform.
The Captain requested gold epaulettes. The Parrot reminded him that this was an opponent guide, not a tailoring appointment.
The Crowd Is Part of the Flight Crew
“Gang Green,” the stadium chant and the franchise’s New York identity give the Jets’ fan culture its own vocabulary. The original page also documented the Flight Crew and Aviators drumline; those references are retained here as part of the site’s historical game-day archive, not a guarantee of a particular performance lineup in 2026.
Flight Club
The modern Flight Club is a season-ticket-member program, distinct from the historical Flight Crew entertainment name. The Jets’ 2026 materials describe year-round access, offers and experiences through the team’s app and membership hub.
A Citywide Fan Connection
For the 2026 draft, the Jets announced a public fan event at the Seaport and a separate member gathering on the Rooftop at Pier 17. These are examples of the club’s fan outreach beyond its New Jersey home field, not upcoming events at this page’s October update.
Sources: Jets: 2026 Flight Club program · Jets: 2026 Seaport fan event.
The Captain respects a loyal crowd. He simply prefers it to be waving pirate flags and making voluntary contributions to his stadium-cover fund. The Parrot has ruled that shouting louder does not increase the value of a doblón.
The Original Jets Images Stay on Board
Four regular-season wins are safely entered in the log. Ten losses remain there too. Captain Booty calls that honesty; the Parrot calls it the minimum requirement for keeping the accounting job.
Sources & Archive Notes
Original site material: the supplied Jets page provided the original image references, two Getty embeds, shared website sections, archive destinations and historical fan material. The supplied sitemap contains twelve date-matched Jets GameDay destinations. Those are retained as archive links; their presence in that saved inventory is not a fresh server-availability guarantee.
External research: the linked club reports, Pro Football Hall of Fame material, stadium information and results reference support the updated game ledger and team details. The 1984 score and venue, first-meeting date, current staff and modern uniforms have been corrected or refreshed. The September 2025 game is added, while the August 2026 exhibition is explicitly separate.
Reading the record: scores put Tampa Bay first. A dash means no GameDay report is linked—not that the game is absent. The January 2022 result belongs to the 2021 season.
Editorial voice: Captain Booty and the Parrot are original fan humor, not attributed statements by team personnel. This independent resource is not an official NFL or club publication. Information was checked for the October 26, 2026 update; leadership and future schedules can change.