TJ Rives departs the Tampa Bay radio booth after two decades, leaving the franchise scrambling for a fresh voice just weeks before the preseason kickoff against New Jersey.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for a new sideline reporter.
Per a report by JoeBucsFan.com, TJ Rives has stepped down from his post after 20 years.
In that time, Rives worked with seven head coaches, starting with Jon Gruden and ending with the Bucs’ current boss, Todd Bowles.
He experienced the highest of highs (winning the Super Bowl at home in 2020) and the lowest of lows (a 6-26 stretch from 2013 to 2014). It’s not clear yet why Rives has stepped down. JoeBucsFan did write that Rives was interested in a promotion to play-by-play man, a promotion left vacant when the great Gene Deckerhoff retired after 37 seasons, but clarified that it’s unclear whether this is why Rives has stepped down. Joe also pointed out that Rives' longtime Twitter/X account, @BucsSidelineGuy, is no more. The Bucs ultimately hired Tony Castricone to succeed Deckerhoff. Castricone had previously been the football and basketball announcer at the University of Washington.
So now, the Bucs need a new sideline reporter, and don’t have much time to find one.
Training camp is in full swing
Tampa’s preseason opener, scheduled for August 14 on the road against the New York Jets, is less than two weeks away, and the regular-season opener, scheduled for Sept. 13 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals, is less than a month after that. So we’ll know soon enough who Rives replacement is.
JoeBucsFan threw out the name Bobby Fenton. Fenton hosts the Free Stretch Podcast, which is run by, interestingly enough, JoeBucsFan. There’s also the possibility that the Bucs go with an ex-player or coach. This would be different than what they had with Rives, who is a traditional media type.
Buc legends that have gone on to a career in media include Hall of Famer Ronde Barber, who hosts the “Ronde Barber Show” produced by WFLA News Channel 8. Gruden has also expressed a desire to try play-by-play and has plenty of experience as an analyst, having spent nearly a decade color-commentating Monday Night Football. But Jon Gruden being the Bucs’ radio sideline reporter is something a lot of fans will have to see to believe.
In any case, it’s going to be a different year on WXTB 97.9 FM. Deckerhoff is among the most legendary voices in NFL history, and it will be hard to replace him. Now, with Rives gone, color commentator Dave Moore is the only radio broadcast holdover from last season.
