Getty The Buccaneers will be seeking a new franchise quarterback this offseason.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for a new quarterback entering the offseason.
Following the abrupt retirement of Tom Brady, the Buccaneers will look to reload rather than rebuild. The three key figures of the coaching staff — head coach Bruce Arians, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles — will all return next season. However, the team faces the challenge of not only finding the team’s next quarterback, but also signing a number of key free agents. Among those free agents will be the likes of Chris Godwin, Ryan Jensen, Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette, to name a few.
The biggest need will be at quarterback. The Buccaneers were spoiled by the play of Brady over the past two seasons, as the veteran quarterback led Tampa Bay to the best two-season run in franchise history. The Buccaneers won a Super Bowl in Brady’s first season before winning a franchise-high 13 games during the 2021 season.
Brady led the league in completions, passing touchdowns and passing yards during his final season, finishing as a runner-up in MVP voting this season.
Unless the Bucs acquire the Green Bay Packers‘ Aaron Rodgers, the Bucs are not going to find a quarterback that is likely to replicate that production. However, Tampa Bay can still look towards a veteran quarterback to at least somewhat fill Brady’s void in the meantime.
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Newton Considered Betting Favorite for Bucs
According to betting odds from Sportsline, the Buccaneers’ likely Week 1 starter will come in the form of a free agent signee. While the Denver Broncos’ Teddy Bridgewater is considered the favorite at +400 odds, Carolina Panthers QB and former NFL MVP Cam Newton doesn’t lag too far behind at +500 betting odds. Of Sportsline’s nine quarterbacks mentioned as potential starters for the Buccaneers’ season opener, Newton is tied for second on betting odds.
“Cam Newton is a free agent,” says Matt Severance of Sportsline. “So is former Bucs and Saints QB Jameis Winston. How weird will the NFC South be next season? Only Atlanta with Matt Ryan has its likely Week 1 starting QB on the roster currently, and Ryan is nearing the end.”
Newton’s Recent Play is Troubling
Newton started out the season with the New England Patriots before he was released during training camp after failing to beat out rookie Mac Jones for the starting job. The 32-year-old quarterback eventually latched on with the Panthers (again) after the team had previously moved on from him during the 2020 offseason.
The veteran quarterback failed to re-establish himself as a viable starting quarterback in his second go-around with the Panthers. Newton went winless in his five starts and posted a 64.4 quarterback rating in addition to 5.4 yards per attempt and a 54.8% completion rate. For perspective, those were all career-lows with the exception of his completion rate, which was the second-lowest of his 11-year career.
The advanced statistics paint an even grimmer picture. According to Pro Football Focus, Newton posted a 53.1 offensive grade this past season. Among all qualifying quarterbacks, Newton’s grade wouldn’t even rank in the top 50.
The Buccaneers won’t have any shortage of options at quarterback. While they will face an uphill battle in acquiring a mega star such as Rodgers or Russell Wilson, they can always go the free agent route and sign better quarterbacks off of the market. Bridgewater (73.5 offensive grade), Jameis Winston (74.2 grade) and Marcus Mariota (64.1 offensive grade in 2019) all represent better options than Newton as the Buccaneers’ next potential quarterback.
Simply put, Tampa Bay should avoid signing Newton as their starting quarterback for the 2022 season.