Buccaneers Are Restricting These Jersey Numbers For New Players

Could you ever see another Tampa Bay Buccaneers player in these numbers?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) warms up before the game against the Carolina Panthers | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

It's a new season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2026, and they'll try to improve on an 8-9 finish that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2020. But it's also a new era for the team, as two of its franchise legends are no longer with the team.

Wide receiver Mike Evans left in free agency to play for the San Francisco 49ers, while linebacker Lavonte David called it quits after 14 seasons and retired from the game of football. The Buccaneers have made moves to try and fill those gaps, signing linebacker Alex Anzalone in free agency and bringing on Georgia State wide receiver Ted Hurst in the third round, but it will be very difficult to truly replace what those players did for Tampa Bay.

There's at least one way, for now, that no one will replace Evans and David. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht made an appearance on Kay Adams' Up & Adams show on Thursday, and he revealed that there's one thing the Bucs are doing to maintain the legacy of both players in Tampa Bay.

Numbers 13 and 54 'off limits' for Buccaneers rookies

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) reacts after catching a pass against Atlanta Falcons | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Adams spoke to Licht depth about what Evans and David meant to the franchise, but at the end of that conversation, she asked him about new jersey numbers as rookie minicamp approaches.

"I keep seeing on socials that the jersey numbers are starting to trickle out. I can't help but notice that no one has taken 13 or 54. Are those off limits?" Adams asked.

"I'm gonna say those are off limits for now," Licht replied.

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht confirms that, as of now, #13 and #54 are "off limits" for new players@jasonrlicht | @Buccaneers | @MikeEvans13_ | @LavonteDavid54 | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/ia5rcj0n3h

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 7, 2026

The move makes sense, as the Bucs aren't shy about restricting numbers. There are no numbers officially retired in Tampa Bay, but some numbers, like Derrick Brooks' famed 55 and Ronde Barber's No. 20, haven't been chosen by anyone else. The trend is even more recent than that — NFL legend Tom Brady wore 12 when he played for the Bucs from 2020-22, and since his departure, no one has had that number.

New Bucs linebacker Josiah Trotter is set to take No. 45, which previously belonged to Deion Jones and Devin White. Hurst, who enters the receiver room and could take over the X role that Evans left behind, is set to take 17, which belonged to Sterling Shepard before him.

It will be interesting to see just how long those numbers go unclaimed, if any player ever does choose them far down the line. But both Evans and David are potential Hall of Fame players, and the reverence for their legacy is to be expected from the Bucs.

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