The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of the surprise riders on the NFL quarterback carousel this offseason. Tom Brady surprisingly announced his retirement shortly after the team was eliminated from the postseason by the eventually Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
Without Brady under center, the team’s game plan for the offseason could change. Tampa Bay has some cap issues to navigate which will lead to some difficult decisions to be made.
Even without Brady, this is a roster still built to compete now. Given how weak the NFC South looks like it could be, as the Carolina Panthers need a quarterback, the Atlanta Falcons look to be in a bit of a rebuild and the New Orleans Saints are more than $70 million over the cap, the Buccaneers could very well be the division favorites even without a future Hall of Famer running the offense.
Bringing in a veteran, at least for one year, seems like the most likely outcome in Tampa Bay. They used a second-round pick on Kyle Trask in 2021, so it is fair to believe the franchise is confident he could start some games eventually.
Handing him the job without competition this offseason would be a surprise. Bringing in a veteran who is maybe on a shorter contract to compete with him would make some sense. One quarterback who would fit that bill is Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers.
Garoppolo is arguably the most likely quarterback to be on the move this season. With No. 3 overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, Trey Lance, waiting in the wings, the team is ready to make a change. That means finding a new home for Garoppolo and over at Bleacher Report, they believe Tampa Bay is a good landing spot.
Matt Lombardo of FanSided reported that the Buccaneers, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos, would have an interest in Garoppolo. All three are solid landing spots for him, but in Bleacher Report’s piece, he lands in Tampa Bay.
The hypothetical trade that was put together by Bleacher Report was Garoppolo heading to the Buccaneers in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and 2023 third-round pick. That would provide San Francisco the chance to recoup the second-rounder they sent to the New England Patriots to acquire Garoppolo and provide them with another mid-round selection as well.
Garoppolo replacing Brady was something many people thought we would eventually see, but that it would come with the Patriots, not the Buccaneers. Garoppolo likely won’t produce at MVP levels as Brady did, but he is more than capable of at least keeping Tampa Bay in playoff contention.
Garoppolo has one Super Bowl appearance under his belt and advanced to a second NFC Championship Game this season. That kind of experience is difficult to find and for a team with championship aspirations, Garoppolo is a good fit.
