Top quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to watch closely

If one thing has plagued the Tampa Bay Buccaneers history as a franchise, it has unquestionably been their lack of consistent talent at the quarterback position. Actually, forget about consistent talent, the Bucs have rarely been able to keep any talent at the position to begin with.

The fact that the franchise somehow managed to win a super bowl with Brad Johnson yet failed to win with guys like Steve Young and Doug Williams will stump historians for centuries to come.

And while the last month and Brady’s return have made Bucs fans quickly forget the all-too-familiar position they were in after Tom Brady “retired,” it would behoove them to focus more on the future.

The Buccaneers were looking at choosing between Blaine Gabbert or Kyle Trask to be their starting QB come next season, and either option was never going to lead the team to playoff success.

That is why it is so important that the Bucs use this year to try and actually think ahead about the QB position. Brady will almost certainly not be in the Bay next year, and the front office shouldn’t be expecting him either when they are planning out the team a few years out.

There is one option at QB that the Bucs should absolutely keep an eye out for right now; Baker Mayfield.

While Mayfield is certainly not the most dominant player in his position, he is a capable QB that, if paired with the type of defenses the Bucs are known for, could absolutely be a part of numerous wins down the road.

Additionally, given the current drama at his position with the Cleveland Browns signing Deshaun Watson, Baker could be available on a relative cheap deal sooner than most people would think.

This could put the Bucs in a great position to try and acquire Mayfield and try to see what he brings to the table down the road after sitting behind Brady for a year.

This would also provide the Bucs with a certain amount of insurance in case of that one bad hit to an elderly Brady that takes him out for the season. Mayfield would then be in a good spot to move into the starting role after next season and Brady’s departure.

It’s not like this move will have anyone as excited as some of the other options that could be on the market in a year, but it is far from a bad move. Baker gets a bad name from his off-the-field antics, but his play on the field has been unquestionably better than Blaine Gabbert’s and his ceiling is higher than Trask’s.

At least it would give more hope than what we already saw so far this offseason.

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