3 free agent quarterbacks Buccaneers could realistically target

The biggest unanswered question the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have in the wake of Tom Brady retiring is who will be under center next season. Even before Brady made his decision to walk away, the Bucs needed to decide what the plan would be at quarterback in the immediate future and how that plan played into the franchise’s long-term plans at the position.

It’s not a terribly deep free agent pool at quarterback this offseason, at least not when it comes to guys who can come in and convince anyone outside of Tampa Bay that the team can contend the way it did with Brady.

That’s not to say the quarterbacks within the Bucs grasp aren’t good, but expectations need to be tempered.

The Bucs could take a big swing and try to land someone like Lamar Jackson, Derek Carr, or Aaron Rodgers but the team would need Olympic-level gymnastics to make it work with the current salary cap situation.

A more realistic option might be along the lines of what NFL insider Greg Auman suggested in a recent interview.

“There’s a lot in that middle tier, the budget second tier of free agency. There will be a ton of not-great quarterbacks but starter-level quarterbacks that will be available in free agency.” Auman said in a recent interview on 95.3 WDAE.

Anything can happen, but the reality of the situation is the Buccaneers will likely land somewhere in the middle of the free agent pool if they decide to go that route in replacing Tom Brady.

With that in mind, let’s start wading into the free agent quarterback options with some guys that seem realistic and with enough upside to be intriguing thought exercises.

This choice got a lot less sexy after Minshew contributed to losing two of the Eagles three games this season, but there were plenty of positives to focus on.

Specifically, Minshew helped keep the Eagles in a shootout against the Dallas Cowboys in his first start replacing an injured Jalen Hurts.

Now, the caveat is he didn’t lead the Eagles to a comeback and was 0-2 with a Super Bowl team that hasn’t lost since he handed the job back to Hurts. That’s not exactly the best endorsement but it’s also not entirely fair to Minshew and what he might bring to the table in Tampa.

Culture is going to be huge for whoever steps into the role, and Minshew channeling his inner Florida Man is one way to start turning things around. It’s volatile, because it’s an act that could wear thin if the losses start piling up, but the Minshew Magic was real the last time he played in Florida.

Once again, the caveat is that the magic faded. But if the Bucs can tap into the guy who passed for almost 6,000 yards and 34 touchdowns in less than two full seasons with the Jaguars, that seems like a pretty decent bridge to build before finding the next franchise quarterback.