There is a lot of rumors running rampant about the Bucs and their pursuit of Tom Brady.
Numerous media outlets are reporting that the Bucs are ready to move on from the 25 year old Jameis Winston and give a one or two year contract to a seasoned veteran who can come in and start right away while the Bucs groom the next up and coming quarterback.
It doesn’t look as if the Bucs are going to use the franchise tag on Jameis Winston making him a free agent.
Winston has his heart set on starting somewhere in 2020, but no one is really giving thought much of a possibility as most experts see Winston as a backup in 2020. Winston is reportedly asking for 25-30 Million dollars per year And the Bucs are not going to pay that to Winston to be their starting quarterback.
No team is going to pay that kind of money for a quarterback who turns the ball over 30-40 times a season.
Tom Brady’s name has been linked to the Buccaneers in numerous reports.
It appears the Bucs are ready to move on from Winston, which of course would be under the blessing of head coach Bruce Arians who was brought to Tampa to work with Winston and improve his game.
Arians likes so many parts of Winston’s game. His arm strength, his gunslinger mentality, his work ethic. What he can’t tolerate is the senseless interceptions and the turnovers that have plagued Winston through the his career and cost the Bucs football games last season.
There was talk about Phillip Rivers coming to Tampa right after the Chargers cut him lose. You can read my thoughts on that here:
https://tampabayprosports.com/2020/02/15/the-bucs-should-pass-on-phillip-rivers/
Tom Brady would not be the answer either.
Brady will be 43 when the season starts. He is the greatest quarterback of all time and will be a 100 percent unanimous selection to the Hall Of Fame on the first ballet.
Brady’s numbers will continue to decline and although his numbers were better last year than a lot of the other starting quarterbacks, Why pay a 43 year old quarterback 20-25 million dollars a year or more when you could pay a younger quarterback that has an upside like a Teddy Bridgewater, a Marcus Mariota a lot less and use that money to build your offensive line which is the weakest position on the team?
It’s the best of both worlds.
If the fan base and the Buccaneers think that Brady is going to walk into Tampa and suddenly the Bucs will be Super Bowl contenders, that is delusional.
Remember Michael Jordan the GOAT played with the Washington Wizards his final seasons in the NBA and everyone thought that the Wizards would be instant contenders?
It didn’t happen. And Brady will not be able to lift this team to the Super Bowl.
There is also the possibility of a trade for Nick Foles, or Andy Dalton.
Brady is not very mobile and you need that in a quarterback playing behind this Bucs offensive line.
The Bucs running game is a step below what Brady had in New England with Sony Michael and James White.
In Bruce Arians offense, the quarterback is counted on heavily to make plays a lot more than other offensive systems.
Brady would have a better group of receivers to throw to in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin than he had in New England, but the concerns are there about his mobility and durability.
There is also speculation out there that Brady will want his say on the roster, and will want input in play calling.
Brady will get signed somewhere and get the contract that he is looking for. The new Las Vegas Raiders and the Tennessee Titans are all possibilities for signing Tom Brady.
You also can’t rule out the possibility that a deal is worked out for Brady to re-sign with the Patriots.
For the money that you will have to pay Brady, the Bucs strategy should be to get a tier two or three quarterback in free agency, draft a quarterback in the first round and groom him to be the starting quarterback in a year or two.
We will all know next week what the Bucs plans are for the quarterback, as the free agency period begins on Monday.
Here are some other articles on the Bucs quarterback situation going into free agncy.
https://tampabayprosports.com/2020/01/21/why-the-bucs-should-keep-jameis-winston-as-their-quarterback/
https://tampabayprosports.com/2020/01/21/why-the-bucs-should-keep-jameis-winston-as-their-quarterback/
