The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have an important decision to make when it comes to QB. Here’s why signing Philip Rivers could totally work.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have an extremely important decision to make this offseason when it comes to the quarterback position.
The Buccaneers will have to decide whether or not to re-sign QB Jameis Winston or to elect to fill the position through free-agency or the NFL Draft.
There have been many rumors that the Buccaneers could bring in veteran Philip Rivers as an option for the immediate future in the place of Winston. While I personally am not sold on Rivers being the right option, I decided to take a look at the other side of the spectrum today.
Here are five reasons signing Rivers would make sense for the Buccaneers.
5. He’s more efficient
One common misconception about Rivers is that he’s just “a washed-up version of Jameis Winston.”
While Rivers certainly did not have a great year in 2019, throwing for just 4,615 yards and 23 touchdowns to 20 interceptions, it should be noted that he’s still more efficient than Winston.
Rivers’ interception percentage was 3.4 percent, while Winston’s was 4.8 percent. Winston threw interceptions 42 percent more often per pass than Rivers did in 2019, according to The Athletic’s Greg Auman.
Many Buccaneer fans have pointed out how Tampa Bay would likely be a playoff contender with an efficient quarterback and Rivers would be a step in the right direction- at least statistically- in turning the ball over less.
Keep in mind that 2019 was one of his worst seasons and he still threw interceptions at a far lower rate than Winston.