Tim Brown played 16 seasons with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, earning nine Pro Bowl selections during that stretch. He began his NFL career primarily as a special teams player before becoming one of the best NFL receivers ever.
After those 16 years, Brown left the AFC West for the NFC South and suited up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although he appeared in 15 games for the Bucs, his time in Tampa is often forgotten.
But the Hall of Fame wideout isn’t the only one who made his name somewhere else but still donned a Tampa Bay uniform at one point. Here is a list of five players you may have forgotten who suited up for the Buccaneers.
Tim Brown with the Buccaneers? Yes, it happened in 2004.
As mentioned above, Brown spent 16 years with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, earning nine Pro Bowl selections to help build his Pro Football Hall of Fame resume. While the Raiders made him the sixth overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft, it took the Notre Dame alum several years to ease his way into NFL stardom as a wide receiver.
Brown spent the better part of his first four years in the NFL as a returner on special teams and caught just 98 passes during that stretch. But in 1993, he became a focal point in the passing game and began a string of nine straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
Brown’s best statistical season came in 1997 when he led the NFL in receptions (104) and recorded a career-high 1,408 receiving yards. It was the last of five straight Pro Bowl seasons and marked the only time he made an All-Pro team, earning Second-Team honors.
Oakland released Brown after the 2003 season, at which point he signed with the Buccaneers, who were coached by former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden. With the Bucs, he appeared in 15 games, starting four. He caught 24 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown in his lone year in Tampa Bay and then retired.
The Indianapolis Colts selected Dallas Clark in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft, and he quickly gave quarterback Peyton Manning a receiving threat at the tight end position. He ultimately spent nine years with the Colts, earning Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors in 2009.
While Manning had standout wide receiver Reggie Wayne at his disposal, he turned to Clark often during the 2009 season. Clark, a 6-foot-3, 252-pounder out of Iowa, was an exceptional blocker, but he proved his worth as a receiver, catching 100 passes for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns that year.
Clark was a significant part of the Colts’ offense during his time in Indianapolis, catching 427 passes for 4,887 yards and 46 touchdowns, which is why he’s a member of the franchise’s Ring of Honor.
The Colts released Clark in March 2012, and he soon after inked a one-year deal with the Bucs. He played in all 16 games for Tampa in 2012 and finished with 47 catches for 435 yards and four touchdowns.
Clark then played one season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 before calling it a career.
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