The quarterback succession plan for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is still a bit murky. Could a former MVP quarterback purify the Buccaneers waters?
It’s honestly pretty funny. So much is made of how potentially unhappy Tom Brady is with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and how he almost played other places. A lot has also made of what his future will hold after the season. Yet the one thing that doesn’t come up is that he is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2022 NFL season.
That all being said, the Buccaneers still need a succession plan for when Brady is elsewhere, whether that involves being on the field or the announcers’ booth. We saw a glimpse of the potential future to come when he was retired for a cup of coffee, and let’s just say the future looks pretty bleak. At least, it looked that way if Twitter and internet comments are any indication. It looked like fans were on the brink of full-on protest. The fact that the reviews for Kyle Trask thus far have been, shall we say, mixed at best, certainly isn’t eating many fans minds, but that is ok.
There is an idea being floated around that is starting to gain a little bit of steam. On the surface, it sounds absolutely crazy. Certified lunacy even. The thing is though, when you deep-dive into some facts, it isn’t just that it’s not impossible, but also slightly plausible.
Lamar Jackson is still without a contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens. Now while it’s entirely possible, probably even likely, that this is just a Dak Prescott situation and he’s betting on himself to maximize his future payday at the end of the season, things aren’t exactly hunky-dory if reports are to be believed. That being the case, what perfect timing for the Bucs, a team that plays in the state that the 2019 NFL MVP just so happens to be from, to swoop in and make a deal.
Looking at it from a football perspective, the Buccaneers and Jackson would also be a match made in heaven. Jackson takes a lot of flack for throwing ability, but as Steve Young so eloquently pointed out on ESPN, it’s not all his fault since the Ravens don’t commit to throwing the ball more in favor using a more run-heavy scheme. It hinders his growth as a passer and puts a cap on his potential.
Precisely why Steve Young left Tampa and look how that turned out. Spot on. https://t.co/eD1DEw2E16
— Brandon Thornton (@BThornton_33) August 19, 2022
Fortunately, the Buccaneers are pretty much the opposite of that. Sure, Todd Bowles says he does want to run the ball little more, but even with that being the case, they are still a team that is going to air it out. They are also a team, unlike the Ravens, that have a plethora of pass-catchers that would make any quarterback excited. Heck, Jameis Winston was a 5,000 yard passer with many of these weapons.
It will absolutely be expensive, both in capital and cash, but if this is something that is even remotely on the table, the Buccaneers need to throw the farm, kitchen sink, and/or whatever else it takes to get it done.
As we said, the odds of this happening are slim to none. It’s the kind of Madden franchise mode-type move that usually only happens in the video games. However, thanks in large part to teams like the Los Angeles Rams, and to a lesser extent the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this way of front office thinking isn’t as out of the question as it once was. It more likely than that won’t happen. However, it is certainly something worth keeping in the back of your mind for nothing else than wishful thinking in times when you feel defeated. If you look right, the future can always still look bright.