The Buccaneers can’t sit on their hands without Tom Brady.
The state of being content with mediocrity could be one of the most destructive thought processes in the world. Happy with the middle of the pack is not how anything should operate, especially not sports franchises like the Buccaneers after losing Tom Brady.
Brady is gone. It hurts. It’ll sting for a while. But the Bucs sat on top of the NFL world for two years, and it will always be worth it in the end.
The Buccaneers shouldn’t jump back to the depths of obscurity after losing their star, but shouldn’t is the operative word.
Tampa absolutely can go back to being one of the worst teams in the league and they need to do everything in their power not to let this happen.
This plummet back to the bottom of the NFL world starts and stops with their level of aggressiveness this offseason. Being passive and content with what they have could leave Tampa at the bottom of the NFC South next season, and that is saying something.
Fans will see this first with the quarterback position. Jason Licht seems to love Blaine Gabbert (why), and the Bucs did recently draft Kyle Trask for a future without Brady.
Both of these options will make the Buccaneers terribly bland in 2022, and Trask fans can’t even be excited about him, with Gabbert the most likely starter for most of the season.
Why waste a team this good on a guy like Gabbert or a first-year starter that doesn’t possess the physical traits? Hint: there are no good reasons unless the Bucs are tanking for a guy like Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud in 2022, but that is a terrible decision when seeing how good this roster can be.
Outside of the quarterback position, the Bucs were also aggressive with their free agents, which can’t change without Brady either. Going after guys like Leonard Fournette or Antonio Brown can’t change just because the GOAT is no longer here.
The Buccaneers have to do everything in their power to keep Tampa as one of the premier free agent destinations, and that does start with finding a competent starting quarterback.
One way or another, the Buccaneers can’t get complacent without Tom Brady.
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