Ron DeSantis went to war with the NFL over COVID restrictions just to get more Bucs fans into Raymond James Stadium for a Super Bowl.
Now he's running into the coach who left Tampa Bay and rubbing it in.
And what he said to Liam Coen's face is exactly what every Bucs fan has been thinking since January.
DeSantis Fought the NFL Over Tampa Bay Buccaneers COVID Restrictions
Five years ago, DeSantis was on the phone with NFL brass making a case most governors wouldn't dare make.
The Bucs were hosting Super Bowl LV.
His argument was simple – 100,000 people were going to party in Ybor City win or lose, so cutting stadium capacity to a fraction was pointless.
The NFL didn't give him everything he wanted.
They let in roughly 22,000 fans – about a third of capacity.
But DeSantis made the call.
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis2024/status/1616922367992778753?s=20
That's the thing about a fan who grew up in Dunedin watching losing Bucs seasons for years.
You don't just watch.
You fight.
What DeSantis Said to Liam Coen After He Took the Jaguars Job
So when DeSantis ran into Liam Coen recently – the offensive coordinator who Baker Mayfield credits for his revival before bolting to Jacksonville to become the Jaguars' head coach – he had a choice.
Say nothing. Be a governor.
He didn't.
"I just told him, 'I wished they kept you.' Right?"
Three seconds.
That's all it took.
Coen has done exactly what Bucs fans feared – he took that offensive system to Jacksonville and went 13-4 in year one.
He said it to the man's face.
DeSantis on the Buccaneers 2026 Season and Losing Mike Evans
DeSantis sat down with Rondé Barber on The Rondé Barber Show before teeing off at the Valspar Championship Pro-Am – a foursome that included Baker Mayfield and Jon Gruden, which someone absolutely should have paid to stream live.
He knows the 2025 season fell apart.
"Last year was frustrating because I thought they were going to go deep into the playoffs," DeSantis said. "I thought Baker was the MVP, all this stuff. And then kind of the wheels came off."
https://twitter.com/MLFootball/status/2034350228862586969?s=20
That's the honest read.
The Bucs were winning close games early – not blowing anyone out – which meant the margin for error was always thin.
When it went wrong, it went wrong fast.
"I kind of feel like there's a range of possibilities," he said. "I think they could sputter bad or I think they could get it together and have a productive season."
"Losing Mike – that's kind of a gut punch."
Mike Evans. Twelve years. The all-time Bucs receiving leader.
Gone.
The Governor Is One of Us
Here's what's actually happening in this story.
Florida has three NFL teams.
Most politicians in that position say something vague and useless – "I love all Florida football" – because they don't want to alienate anyone.
DeSantis cut Rondé Barber off before the question was even finished.
"Oh, I'm a Bucs fan. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh no, no, no. I've never [hid] that. No, no, no. I grew up a Bucs fan. I am a Bucs fan."
That's not a politician answering a sports question.
The political class spends every waking moment calculating what to say and how to say it.
DeSantis interrupted the question.
That's a real answer.
Sources:
- Joe Bucs Fan Staff, "Ron DeSantis Won't Back Off Bucs Fandom, Talks 2026 Season," JoeBucsFan.com, April 11, 2026.
- The Rondé Barber Show, WFLA Streaming, March 2026.
