Less than a year after signing with them, Tom Brady helped lift the Buccaneers from mediocrity to NFL champions. Now that Brady has officially retired, Tampa Bay once again finds itself in the market for someone to fill the sports’ most importation position.
It’s incredibly far-fetched to think the Buccaneers’ next quarterback will have the same impact Brady had. The Buccaneers surely know that, but that doesn’t mean that Tampa won’t try to find the best available person to succeed the seven-time Super Bowl champion, who in just three seasons added to his long list of career goals by becoming the best quarterback in Buccaneers history.
Blaine Gabbert and 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask are the two remaining quarterbacks on the Buccaneers’ roster. Gabbert, 33, is a journeyman who was good enough to beat out Trask for No. 2 on the depth chart last year. While Gabbert is a solid player, the fact that Trask wasn’t able to supplant him on the depth chart is not a promising sign.
Gabbert is set to be a free agent, but given his likely affordability and Todd Bowles’ glittering praise of him, it seems highly likely that the Buccaneers will re-sign him. Trask will likely be back, too, given he has two years left on his rookie contract.
With two quarterbacks already in tow, Tampa Bay will probably acquire two other quarterbacks. The team could sign a “camp arm” and someone who will compete to be the starting quarterback. But the more likely scenario is Tampa Bay drafting a quarterback and signing a veteran to compete for the starting job.
The Buccaneers have a blueprint for how to replace a Hall of Fame quarterback should they choose to mimic what the Steelers did last year in finding Ben Roethlisberger’s successor. While it wasn’t without some speed bumps, Pittsburgh did ultimately find Roethlisberger’s successor in 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett while also finding a more than…
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