Getty Buccaneers players could catch passes from a quarterback once tabbed to succeed Tom Brady.
With Tom Brady retired, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will consider one of only two active quarterbacks in the NFL who have two Super Bowl rings.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that the Bucs have San Francisco 49ers quarterback and pending free agent Jimmy Garoppolo on the radar. Garoppolo played for two Super Bowl-winning teams with the New England Patriots as the backup to Brady in 2015 and 2017 before the Patriots traded him to the 49ers.
The Bucs sit at $55.5 million over the salary cap, per Spotrac, as a result of pushing back money with voidable years to build around Brady in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Garafolo noted that the Bucs plan to eat all of Brady’s $35.1 million post-retirement cap hit, but that doesn’t mean tanking on the field in 2023.
“So the plan for Tampa Bay is to retool while still competing. They knew they were going to pay these debts at some point. They will be in the veteran quarterback market,” Garafolo said on “NFL Game Day” before the Super Bowl. “Jimmy Garoppolo, one of the players that they like, but they may not just have the finances to get it done.”
The Super Bowl LVII @NFLGameDay Notebook: Aaron Rodgers heads into the darkness Monday with a decision looming; The #Bucs will retool and get their books in order; Could the #Ravens trade Lamar Jackson?; Baltimore matching an offer sheet could actually be the result.
Garoppolo re-worked his five-year, $137.5 million deal with the 49ers to cost the team only $12.6 million against the cap in 2022 with a $6.5 million base per Spotrac. In free agency, Garoppolo could command as much as $34.9 million annually according to Spotrac.
For the Bucs to afford Garoppolo, it will take a series of cuts to far enough below the salary cap. Pewter Report salary cap specialist Joshua Queipo suggests cutting Leonard Fournette, Cameron Brate, Russell Gage, Ryan Succopp, and Donovan Smith to clear $22 million in cap space. Queipo added that the Bucs can save up to $29.5 million with restructuring contracts for players such as Carlton Davis III, Chris Godwin, Ryan Jensen, Shaq Barrett, and Vita Vea.
Garoppolo Can Still Play Despite 49ers QB Plans
Garoppolo still has quality football left in him after six seasons with the 49ers where he went 38-17 as a starter and 4-2 in the playoffs. He led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season and the NFC Championship Game in the 2021 season. He has 13,599 yards passing for 82 touchdowns versus 42 interceptions in his time with the 49ers.
San Francisco began moving on from Garoppolo in 2021 by trading up in the NFL Draft to acquire North Dakota State prodigy Trey Lance with the third pick. Due to Lance’s season-ending ankle injury, Garoppolo got another shot in 2022 with a 7-3 mark before a late-season foot injury. 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy took over and led the team to the NFC Championship Game.
How Garoppolo Fits in With the Bucs
If Garoppolo choses the Bucs, he will work with former NFC West rival David Canales, who became the new offensive coordinator on Wednesday, February 15. As a quarterbacks coach, Canales helped Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith produce a record-setting career year and a Pro Bowl appearance. Canales also helped Russell Wilson develop during his early days as a Seahawk before a trade to the Denver Broncos.
Canales comes from a run-heavy offense in Seattle where the Seahawks piled on 2,042 rushing yards on 425 attempts. If Canales can help the Bucs develop a stronger running attack after finishing 32nd across main rushing categories, a quarterback such as Garoppolo could benefit from a strong ground game as he did in San Francisco. The 49ers rushed for 1,800 yards or better in each of the past five seasons.
Garoppolo would also have quality wide receivers to work with in Mike Evans and Godwin. The Bucs saw improvement in rookie tight end Cade Otton but could make a move to boost that position going into 2023.