Getty Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady on the football field facing the New York Jets.
It took over 22 years but it appears we have finally reached the end of the road for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.
The news was first shared by Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports and later confirmed by other media outlets that the 44-year-old was stepping away from football to spend more time with his family.
When Brady officially signs his retirement paperwork, Tampa will be left with two incredibly unappealing options at the quarterback position in Kyle Trask and Blaine Gabbert.
With the Bucs still in win-now mode with an extremely talented roster, some have started to speculate what is next at the quarterback position?
One option could involve a potential trade with the New York Jets according to one analyst.
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Helping to Replace Brady?
Bill Barnwell of ESPN wrote a column breaking down what he knows about the Tampa organization to try to get a sense of what they could do to replace Brady in 2022.
He said that the “trade market” could be a more fruitful path for the Bucs and listed Jets quarterback Mike White as a potential target.
Barnwell said he “could absolutely see the Bucs taking a flier on him.”
He loved what he saw from White in the Cincinnati Bengals game from earlier this season when he threw for over 405 yards and three touchdowns. While White had quite the fall from grace versus the Buffalo Bills, Barnwell excused it as him playing “the best defense in football.”
Outside of that game, Barnwell says White “looked like he belonged in the NFL.”
Potential compensation for a trade wasn’t discussed, but it wouldn’t likely take much to pry the former fifth-round draft choice from Gang Green’s clutches.
Jets Have Their Own Questions to Answer
While the Jets believe they have their long-term answer at quarterback in Zach Wilson, who will be his backup remains a big question heading into 2022.
The only other two quarterbacks on the roster both could not be after this offseason. Joe Flacco, who the Jets traded for earlier this season, is set to be an unrestricted free agent.
While the aforementioned White is actually scheduled to be a restricted free agent, but the green and white will have first dibs to tender him.
As we witnessed this season, if you don’t have a viable backup who is capable of stepping up when it matters most, your season is toast.
Having a capable backup quarterback is one of the most overlooked facets of an NFL roster. The NFL is a violent game that routinely eats its young. Wilson was no exception as he was forced to miss a month of action after suffering a PCL strain.
We all know general manager Joe Douglas loves his assets so if he could flip White this offseason, even if it was helping the Bucs, he would do it in a heartbeat.
If Douglas didn’t hesitate to do a Jets-New England Patriots trade a few years ago, we know damn well he wouldn’t hesitate here.
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