The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could go in a number of different directions at quarterback.
Following the retirement of Tom Brady, the Buccaneers will have to scramble for a new franchise quarterback. There won’t be any shortage of options as a number of veteran quarterbacks will be on the market via free agency and the trade market.
Richard Sherman, who played this past season for the Buccaneers, gave a glimpse of what direction Tampa Bay may head into in the offseason. While speaking on his podcast, Sherman believes the Bucs will “go championship quarterback” as they seek Brady’s replacement.
“I obviously think they still think they have a championship window. So I think they’re going to go championship quarterback,” Sherman said on The Richard Sherman Podcast.
“I don’t know if they have the funds, the salary cap to really go after a guy … like a top guy, like Aaron [Rodgers] or Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson even. But I think that may be a route they explore. I don’t think they want to go with a rookie or draft anybody and expect them to come in and really take them to a Super Bowl. So expect them to go the veteran route whether it’s through trade or free agency.”
Bucs May Not Be Able to Acquire Star QB
Sherman basically rules out the idea of Tampa Bay going with 2021 second-round draft selection Kyle Trask. Trask is the only Buccaneers quarterback under contract for next season.
The Green Bay Packers‘ Aaron Rodgers and the Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson are popular names that have been thrown out there. But their availability hinges on whether or not they actually want to leave their current destinations.
In a scenario where neither quarterback wants to part ways with the only franchises they’ve ever known, the Buccaneers will be forced to find a quarterback via free agency.
That’s where names such as Jameis Winston and Teddy Bridgewater have popped up as favorites to start for the Buccaneers in 2022. In fact, Bridgewater is considered the favorite to start for the Bucs at +400 odds, according to Sportsline.
The Bucs will ideally like a veteran quarterback who has championship experience to take snaps under center entering the 2022 season. It would mitigate the loss of the best quarterback the game has ever seen in Brady.
But that may not be a realistic possibility if Rodgers and Wilson decide to stay put with their current franchises.
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Brady on Possible Return: ‘Never Say Never’
If you’re holding out hope for a potential Brady return, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
During Brady’s most recent podcast appearance on the Let’s Go! podcast with Jim Gray, the 44-year-old quarterback revealed there’s the possibility that could happen.
“I’m just gonna take things as they come,” Brady said when asked about potentially coming back. “I think that’s the best way to put it and I don’t think anything, you know, you never say never. At the same time I know that I’m very, I feel very good about my decision. I don’t know how I’ll feel six months from now.
I try to make the best possible decision I can in the moment, which I did this last week. And, again, I think it’s not looking to reverse course, I’m definitely not looking to do that. But in the same time I think you have to be realistic that you never know what challenges there are gonna be in life. Again, I loved playing. I’m looking forward to doing things other than playing. That’s as honest as I can be.”
If the Bucs are unable to land a star quarterback such as Rodgers and Wilson, you better believe Tampa Bay fans will be holding out hope for a Brady return in 2022.
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Richard Sherman Hints at Bucs QB Plans for 2022