Unconventional Possibilities For Buccaneers 2022 QB

Tom Brady has retired (for now), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need to find a new starter at the quarterback position in 2022.

So many big names have been swirling about and connected to the Bucs since Brady’s retirement that, at this point, no one besides those deeply connected at One Buc Place may really have an idea which direction the Bucs may go.

That being said, there isn’t anything wrong with speculating on some unconventional possibilities for the starting signal caller for head coach Bruce Arians this fall.

A couple of potential free agents have previously suited up for Tampa Bay. Would the Bucs bring back Jameis Winston after an injury-shortened season in New Orleans? Could the eternal journeyman that is Ryan Fitzpatrick make a trip back to the pewter and red as he turns 40 during the season?

Two of the potential free agents were the number two overall picks in the year they were drafted. There’s 2015 second pick Marcus Mariota, who left the Tennessee Titans after five seasons and has been a backup for the Las Vegas Raiders the last two years. The second overall pick in 2017 was quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who played four years with the Chicago Bears before backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo this past year.

There are even some unconventional possibilities at the quarterback spot in free agency that have proven playoff experience that a team ready to win like Tampa Bay might find attractive.

While Andy Dalton has bounced around the league the last two years with the Dallas Cowboys and the Bears in 2021, he was good enough to get the Bengals to the playoffs in his first five years with the club pre-Joe Burrow. Perhaps a change of scenery and a no risk it no biscuit type of coach could re-energize the career of the Red Rifle.

Finally, there is Teddy Bridgewater, who may be the quintessential game manager on the free agent market. Bridgewater threw 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 14 games with the Denver Broncos last season, and maybe a move to the warmer climate with a better team in Tampa could be what Bridgewater needs to finally solidify himself as a championship level quarterback.

The bottom line is there are many unconventional possibilities that the Bucs could choose at quarterback for 2022, and time will tell if the organization pulls the trigger on one.