Getty The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look different in 2023.
The clearest path for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to find their next starting quarterback is through the 2023 NFL draft, but to quote the great philosopher Fat Joe, “Yesterday’s price is not today’s price.” With multiple teams in the quarterback market, the Bucs may need to move up in the draft in order to have a chance at one of the top signal-callers.
To do so, Tampa Bay may need to be prepared to stomach a premium price that historically teams have paid when moving up to draft a quarterback as opposing franchises take advantage of this desperation. One player that continues to be linked to the Bucs is Florida standout Anthony Richardson, but if past drafts offer any indication quarterback values almost always rise. There is no guarantee Richardson will be available when the Bucs are on the clock at No. 19.
All this has the 33rd Team suggesting a possible trade scenario that has Tampa Bay striking a deal with Philadelphia to move up to No. 10. The Buccaneers would send No. 19 to the Eagles along with their second-round (No. 50) and fifth-round (No. 174) selections in the proposed trade. Tampa Bay lands Richardson while Philly is able to pick Texas star running back Bijan Robinson at No. 19 while securing additional draft capital.
Anthony Richardson Has the ‘Highest Ceiling of Any QB,’ Says Draft Analyst
Traditionally, trading up for a quarterback cost the QB-needy teams at least an additional first-round pick. The scenario laid out above would be an ideal situation for Tampa given their is no future first-rounder involved but may not be available come draft night.
Richardson is far from a finished product and there is a good chance Kyle Trask would end up as the 2023 starting quarterback even if the Bucs targeted the playmaking prospect. The Gators quarterback’s 53.8% completion percentage and nine interceptions (compared to 17 touchdowns) are likely to be of concern for NFL teams. It is Richardson’s 654 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground that could prompt the Buccaneers to overlook the quarterback’s passing inefficiencies.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Richardson as his No. 4 rated quarterback and No. 14 overall ranked prospect. Brugler believes NFL teams will be willing to take a chance on Richardson because the player’s “most impressive talent gives him the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this class.”
“A very young and unrefined passer, Anthony Richardson doesn’t have the most impressive resume (zero career games with 250-plus passing yards and a 60 percent or higher completion rate),” Brugler wrote on February 14. “However, his impressive talent gives him the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this class. A traits-based prospect, Richardson is the most intriguing wild card of the 2023 draft.”
Buccaneers Players Expect Kyle Trask to be Tampa Bay’s Next Starting Quarterback: Report
Regardless of how the draft plays out, Buccaneers players appear to be operating under the impression that Trask will be the team’s QB1 in 2023, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. While veterans like Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr are free agents, the Bucs are projected to be more than $55 million over the cap which makes adding a marquee quarterback a long shot.
“With the three-year Tom Brady window now closed, the Bucs could take calculated risks in efforts to remain a contender,” Fowler detailed on February 14. “Answers at quarterback are not clear-cut, but they could inquire about Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers and others — or roll with Kyle Trask, a second-round pick in 2021. The sense I get from Tampa Bay players is that Trask is the favorite as of now.”