The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans rejoiced when Tom Brady announced that he would be returning to the team. After being retired for a few weeks, there were discussions about who the team may have under center for the 2022 season, but the answer is now Brady.
But, beyond this season, the future remains murky for the quarterback position in Tampa Bay. The same issue they were facing this offseason when Brady retired is what they could potentially face next year as well.
The team used a second-round pick on Kyle Trask in the 2021 NFL Draft, so there is a chance that he is given an opportunity to start down the road. But, given current developments around the league, could the Buccaneers make a trade for a quarterback?
Over at NFL SpinZone, the Buccaneers were mentioned as a potential surprise landing spot for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. After acquiring Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, it is clear the team is ready to end the Mayfield era.
Bringing Mayfield in as the backup quarterback for this season and until Brady officially retires would make sense for Tampa Bay. Without a clear-cut option to turn to post-Brady, Mayfield would fill the void as a long-term option.
However, acquiring him may not be feasible. Tampa Bay was up against the salary cap this offseason, so bringing Mayfield and his nearly $19 million salary will not be easy. When you add on top of that the price to acquire him, as Cleveland is reportedly looking for a first-round pick, the odds of the Buccaneers acquiring him drop even more.
Should Mayfield be released, the Buccaneers could be more involved in the bidding for him. Again, however, with Brady’s future unknown, Tampa Bay cannot afford to dump money and assets into the quarterback position unless they know for sure that he will not be playing for more than one season.
Mayfield will protect against the possibility of Brady calling it quits again next offseason, but it won’t be cheap. Not only does a team have to meet the Browns’ asking price for draft compensation, but Mayfield is set to become a free agent after this season, so he will be looking for a new contract from whichever team acquires him.
