The Buccaneers have a very clear pattern with how they handle major events. Let’s pretend they follow this pattern with the current quarterback situation.
It’s the second week of the offseason and Buccaneers fans across the world have to be tired of the conversations surrounding their quarterback dilemma for 2022.
Tom Brady isn’t coming back. If you haven’t accepted that yet, you’re probably only setting yourself up for more pain later. The team is moving on and planning for the much more likely contingency, and that has reflected in the countless conversations regarding trades, free agent signings, and draft picks.
While we can all hope and dream that a mysterious options appears out of the blue to save the Bucs from mediocrity, lets look at this logically for a second.
You don’t have to take any part of this as gospel, nor should you given the changing nature of the sport and the offseason, but this is where we have to look at this as “what is most likely?”
Kyle Trask starting makes very little sense. Bruce Arians had a perfect time to jet off into retirement when Brady left.
Why would you come back to start a guy with no NFL experience?
The answer is Arians wouldn’t. This leaves Trask as the QB2 or the QB3. Onto the other spots on the depth chart.
The same logic can be applied to Blaine Gabbert. Is he really the guy that you want to tie your ship to during the final years of your career? It makes sense that Arians has a place for Gabbert in his heart after having him on his team for so long, but come on now.
Arians can talk about Gabbert all day every day and sing his praises from the moment free agency starts. We aren’t buying for a second that he is option number one for Arians.
The Bucs should do everything in their power to go after guys like Russell Wilson, but there are too many speed bumps on the road to making that happen. Add in Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers to the guys that would obviously help the team but aren’t going to be Bucs.
As Tampa strikes out on each of their favorite options, Arians will do the only thing he can to give the team the best shot at winning; signing an unimpressive free agent to compete with Gabbert for the starting job.
The Bucs are going to make an outside free agent signing this offseason; it’s just a matter of when. A QB room of Gabbert, Trask, and Ryan Griffin is enough to lose some season ticket holders, and the team has to at least make it look like they are trying to stay competitive.
A guy like Mitch Trubisky, Teddy Bridgewater, or Jameis Winston will get called up to sign an incentive-laden deal (similarly to what Gabbert should get) to fight for the job during training camp.
For this writer’s money, any of those three quarterbacks beat out Gabbert and Trask.
There are issues and clear reasons as to why none of those guys should come to Tampa, but the Bucs are going to have to try something to keep the competition hot as they attempt to stay relevant in life after Brady.
The draft is out of the question, the Bucs rarely trade, and the cheaper free agent options are the only ones that actually bring a chance of winning to this team
Official prediction: QB1 (outside free agent-not Rodgers, Watson, or Wilson. Leaning Bridgewater), QB2 Gabbert, QB3 Trask
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