The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a scare this offseason when seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady briefly announced his retirement. Lucky for the Buccaneers, Brady decided to come back this season. However, with him signing a 375 million dollar deal with Fox which will start once his playing days are done the team needs to start thinking long and hard about who will be his eventual replacement.
One option could be to replace Tom Brady with someone on their roster. Currently, the top four quarterbacks on Tampa Bay’s roster include Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Griffin, and Kyle Trask. This season the likely backup will be Gabbert but with him already being 32 years old it is hard to see him being the long-term replacement for Brady. The quarterback who could fill that role is Kyle Trask who the Buccaneers took in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. While Trask had a rough preseason last year he has looked more comfortable this offseason and is seeing plenty of snaps in OTAs.
Video: Bucs QB Kyle Trask says he’s focused on improving every day and not as worried where he stands in the depth chart entering his second NFL season. pic.twitter.com/FlUDNtamTD
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) May 31, 2022
Another option Tampa Bay could go down to find Tom Brady’s replacement is the 2023 NFL Draft. However, the team is currently projected to pick 31st overall so adding one of the top quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young will likely be out of the question. However, Tampa Bay could take a hard look at someone like Spencer Rattler of South Carolina, Will Levis of Kentucky, or Tyler Van Dyke with their late first-round pick.
The last way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could choose to go down, especially if Tom Brady retires after this season is to bring in a veteran player via free agency or trade. The top quarterbacks who are scheduled to be free agents next offseason include Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield, and Daniel Jones. The Buccaneers could look at trading for a quarterback and a player like Ryan Tannehill might be available if Malik Willis impresses this season.
While none of these players will be able to play even close to Tom Brady’s level the team should be able to find at least a serviceable starter who can get the team to the playoffs on a consistent basis. If I had to guess that player will likely be Kyle Trask especially if he continues to impress his coaches this year and shows a much better grasp of the offense.