The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some huge shoes to fill at the quarterback position. Future Hall of Famer and the greatest of all time, Tom Brady, rode off into retirement this offseason. After flirting with retirement during the 2022 offseason, this time, he says it will be for good.
That leaves Tampa Bay with only 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask as the only quarterback under contract heading into the offseason. While the team would assuredly love to land one of the top prospects in this year’s draft class, that is unlikely to occur. The Buccaneers currently own the 19th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and all of the top signal callers will be off the board.
Unless the franchise makes a shocking move up the board, a long-term option likely isn’t going to be acquired this offseason. That will more than likely leave Trask in competition with a veteran for the starting job. Which players could they have their eyes on in that regard?
According to Diana Russini of ESPN, the Buccaneers are showing interest in Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett. Brissett spent last season with the Cleveland Browns, essentially replacing Mayfield along with Deshaun Watson.
Mayfield ended up being traded to the Carolina Panthers during the offseason. After being benched twice, he was eventually released and finished the season out with the Los Angeles Rams.
Given the circumstances he was dealing with on the Rams, Mayfield seemed to do enough to warrant at least consideration for a starting job in 2023. That is exactly what he would be in line to do should he sign with the Buccaneers, as he would just have to beat out Trask in an offseason battle.
But, before Mayfield even gets that chance, he has to beat out Brissett for a spot on the roster. He played very well for the Browns last season, holding down the fort until Watson was eligible to return from suspension.
Despite Cleveland going 4-7 with Brissett as the starter, he did more than enough to warrant another potential starting job in 2023. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,608 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. Brissett recorded the best quarterback rating of his career and was slightly above average overall in advance stats.
