Should the Tampa Bay Buccaneers attempt a trade for QB Josh Rosen?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their answer at quarterback for the short-term.
A little more than two months ago, the Buccaneers signed QB Tom Brady to a two-year deal worth $50 million and instantly became contenders for the postseason.
With Brady at the helm, Buccaneers fans are more excited than ever to have a chance to break a 12-year streak of missing the playoffs and potentially competing for a deep run.
That being said, there is a question about the future. What will Tampa Bay do to address the most important position on the field in a couple of seasons once Brady retires? How will the Bucs continue to compete in the post-Brady years.
The answer? They have to develop a quarterback in the next two years who can step in and become a leader once Brady is gone.
Could that guy be Josh Rosen?
A trade for Josh Rosen presents little risk for the Buccaneers
Tampa Bay already has four quarterbacks on the roster and there is a belief that they’re content with waiting until the 2021- or even 2022- NFL Draft to address the position.
That being said, they could choose to address the position and trade for a player who has all the potential in Rosen.
Rosen, a former first-round draft pick, was traded by the Arizona Cardinals to the Miami Dolphins last season. He had a disappointing season in which he only played in six games and the Dolphins elected to draft QB Tua Tagovailoa and move away from Rosen as their future.
Now, most would say this: If Rosen looked that bad in his first two seasons in the league, then he’s a bust and there’s no reason to trade for him. While I tend to agree, there is a reason that this could work out.
First, let’s point out that Rosen is just 23 years old and he still has two years left on his contract. He has the raw attributes to be successful in the NFL.
He has a powerful arm, but he hasn’t been coached up or developed. If you could place him in this system and allow him to learn under Tom Brady- the GOAT- for two seasons, you could be talking about one of the greatest development jobs at the position in years.
The Buccaneers could likely get him with a trade for a second-stringer- perhaps Justin Watson or someone of that caliber- and maybe a later draft pick. That amount of capital would be a small price to give up if the Bucs really believe that Bruce Arians and Brady can develop the QB over the course of two seasons.
Who’s to say they can’t?
Rosen may never turn into a franchise quarterback in the NFL, but there’s a reason that he was considered a first-rounder by every major NFL analyst in the country just a couple of years ago. The Dolphins will be motivated to trade and the Bucs could find their replacement for Tom Brady as a result. If they miss out, the truth of the matter is that they wouldn’t have given away all that much.