Former Buccaneers star admits 2022 season wasn’t fun at all

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers' tight end Cameron Brate, who was brought in as an undrafted free agent out of Harvard, spent all nine years of his NFL career in the pewter and red, and since retiring from the game of football in 2022 has continued to be a part of the organization in several ways.

Brate, who still resides in the Tampa area, didn't become one of the all-time greats but was, and still is, beloved by the Tampa Bay faithful and helped the Bucs win their second-ever Lombardi Trophy in 2020.

However, in a recent appearance on the Green Light podcast hosted by Chris Long and former teammate Beau Allen, Brate had some choice words for his final season with the Buccaneers when talking with fellow tight end and teammate Rob Gronkowski about the 2022 season.

"That was not a very fun year for the Buccaneers," said Brate when talking with Gronk about playing the 2022 season. "That year, like I think everyone got done with that year, and the building was like, ‘Alright, I’m done with football.’"

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate spikes the ball after a touchdown. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Some very intriguing stuff.

While the Bucs were able to make the playoffs that season, they were bounced in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys, marking the end of the season as well as the careers of Brate and Tom Brady.

The season could be looked at as a success, but ultimately, there were so many things that happened that could have caused the discomfort within the organization, from former head coach Bruce Arians' retirement before the season to the lackluster offensive production that was headed by controversial former offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.

Either way, those times are now in the past, and the Bucs have moved forward carrying over the culture that was established before that forgetful last season — one that luckily didn't impact the franchise enough to prevent them from carrying over their recent success.

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