The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a great two-year run with quarterback Tom Brady. But that run officially came to an end February 1, when Brady announced his retirement after 22 seasons.
Unless head coach Bruce Arians plans to hand the reins over to second-year quarterback Kyle Trask, the Buccaneers do not have an option on the roster to replace Brady. That’s why a former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback with experience replacing Brady offered his services to Tampa Bay.
“Just putting this out there. @Buccaneers, I’ve never officially retired and did well the last time I stepped in for @TomBrady,” Matt Cassel tweeted on February 3.
Just putting this out there. @Buccaneers, I’ve never officially retired and did well the last time I stepped in for @TomBrady. 🤷♂️
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Cassel Played Well in Place of Brady in ’08
The last time he replaced Brady in a lineup was in 2008 after Brady tore his ACL in Week 1 against the Chiefs. During that season, Cassel helped the New England Patriots to a 10-5 record.
The Patriots missed the playoffs that season, but Cassel helped them put together a season that few in New England would have expected without Brady in the lineup. Cassel completed 63% of his passes and threw 21 touchdowns, per Pro Sports Reference.
But that was a long time ago. Cassel, who is now 39 years old, hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2018. During that season, he played in two games for the Detroit Lions.
Chiefs Losing QB Coach to Giants
Speaking of quarterbacks, Kansas City is losing its quarterback coach to the New York Giants.
The Giants are expected to hire Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka as their offensive coordinator, NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo tweeted on February 3. A deal has not been finalized between Kafka and the Giants, but “that’s the way it’s headed,” Garafolo said.
Kafka is a former NFL quarterback and draft pick of the Andy Reid-led Philadelphia Eagles in 2010. He played in four games as a rookie, completing 11 of 16 pass attempts for 107 yards while also throwing two interceptions, per Pro Football Reference. Before hanging his cleats up in exchange for a clipboard, Kafka spent time with the Patriots, Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, and Cincinnati Bengals from 2013-15 following his three-year stint with Reid in Philadelphia.
Starting as an offensive quality control coach in 2017, Kafka joined Kansas City’s coaching staff and worked his way into roles as a passing game coordinator and quarterback coach in 2020, overseeing the development of the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes into a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
Kafka was believed to be a candidate for a promotion to coordinator in Kansas City if Eric Bieniemy took a head coaching job elsewhere, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media back in November. However, Bieniemy has had multiple interviews during the 2022 head coaching cycle in the NFL, but yet again hasn’t been hired, although he does have a scheduled interview with the New Orleans Saints, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
So, Kafka’s next opportunity for a promotion is in New York, where former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has been hired as the next head coach.
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Ex-Chiefs QB Makes Offer to Buccaneers to Replace Tom Brady