The Pewter Plank
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3 free agent quarterbacks Buccaneers could realistically target

By Josh Hill

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 08: Baker Mayfield #17 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on January 08, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 08: Baker Mayfield #17 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on January 08, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OHIO – NOVEMBER 27: Quarterback Jacoby Brissett #7 of the Cleveland Browns passes during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 27, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – NOVEMBER 27: Quarterback Jacoby Brissett #7 of the Cleveland Browns passes during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 27, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

1. player. 53. . QB. Cleveland Browns. Jacoby Brissett

From one former New England Patriots quarterback to another. The Buccaneers got a front row seat to what Brissett can do when he led the Browns to a victory over Tampa Bay this past season, and it could have been a precursor to an eventual union between the two.

Beyond getting a very capable starter who would make the team competitive, Tampa would be getting the type of high-character leader who might be able to turn things around from where they’re heading.

It certainly seems as though the Bucs fumbled the bag in a bad way in how they’re coming out of the Tom Brady era. What looked like a franchise that had finally found a way to turn its culture around after winning the Super Bowl in 2020, the Bucs reverted back to their old ways last year and seemingly undid a lot of the good that had been done.

Brissett is cut from the same leadership cloth as Brady, and could perhaps help restore some of the foundation that was laid to waste last season. He’s been counted out too many times to count, but has not only battled back but won over fans and teammates alike in the process.

When he needed to step in for Brady in 2016 he helped keep a Super Bowl season on track. He wasn’t given much of a chance with a hapless Colts team a year later but ended up staying four seasons while completing almost 60 percent of his passes and throwing 31 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions in 46 games. Ditto his time in Cleveland last year where he made the most of a bad situation, and made the Browns look respectable while winning over his teammates as a leader who knew he was eventually going to be replaced.

Of the options Tampa Bay has in free agency, Brissett might be the best fit not only from an X’s and O’s standpoint, but from a locker room leadership standpoint as well. After what happened last year, the Bucs need someone who can come in and get things back on track while re-establishing a culture that started to slip away and break; Brissett seems like he might be the perfect guy for the job.

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