The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will relocate to New Orleans this week ahead of Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall later this week, the team announced Monday. The Bucks will face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Milton intensified into a Category 4 hurricane on Monday, with winds estimated at about 150 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. Most forecasts are for it to make landfall near the Tampa area along the west coast of the Florida peninsula, bringing rain and wind impacts as early as Tuesday night.
The Buccaneers and Saints are scheduled to play at Caesars Superdome at 1 p.m. ET, with preparations for the matchup in the New Orleans area. Tampa Bay announced Tuesday morning that they will depart for New Orleans.
This isn’t the first time the Buccaneers have relocated due to a hurricane. In 2022, Tampa Bay moved operations to Miami for a week due to Hurricane Ian.
Hurricane relocations have become somewhat common for teams based on the Gulf Coast. The Saints changed their schedule earlier this year due to Hurricane Francine, and moved their 2021 season to Dallas due to Hurricane Ida.
Because of the storm, New Orleans’ home opener that year was moved to Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay is looking to bounce back from last Thursday’s overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
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