At the beginning of the offseason, Buccaneers fans let out a collective groan over Tom Brady’s announcement of retirement. With Brady gone, will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fall to the bottom rankings again?
Not So Fast
Luckily, Brady couldn’t resist the itch and announced that he rejoining the team. However, many NFL fans have speculated throughout the offseason that Tom Brady has been looking to leave the Buccaneers.
That didn’t happen. But rumors still persist that Brady will look to play for another team in 2023 if he decides to continue playing. Of course, Brady could have simply signed in with the team if he wanted to play with them for the 2023 season.
However, there’s one issue. Now, the team is in a situation where they have a low cap number of $13.77 million with Brady this season. However, that will go up to $35.1 million for 2023, whether he is with the season next year or not. That said, if ever Tom Brady decides to leave, what other options does the team have at quarterback? Here are some potential candidates.
Kyle Trask
The likely player they’re looking to replace Brady is on the team already, Kyle Trask. There are even indications of this as Jason Licht and the team staff are rumored to be going in this direction if this is the hand that is dealt to them. Some people are even preparing themselves to bet on the NFL lines for Trask.
While we didn’t see him so much as of late yet, the people who have been evaluating his performance constantly didn’t feel the need to look far for Tom Brady’s replacement. It’s even rumored that they’re going to do this after Tom Brady’s stint at the start of the offseason.
Hendon Hooker
Hendon Hooker was the product of a fast-paced Josh Heupel offense that UCF grew to love. With that experience, he has significantly developed quick decision-making and accuracy. If he does the same with his performance from last year, he could earn a mid-round consideration and even a quick camp competition.
Baker Mayfield
Baker is known to have a lot of swag and confidence, which are traits that Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans tend to rally around. However, Baker has been very inconsistent due to what seems like a shaky talent he has. Now that Mayfield has been traded to the Panthers, this scenario might be off the table. Although Mayfield’s contract is up after this season.
He is also known to be a gunslinger and has sometimes proven that he has what it takes to play at a high level. With a play style similar to former Buccaneers’ quarterback Jameis Winston, maybe Jason Licht could consider him a Tom Brady replacement.
Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garappolo has been a backup quarterback for Brady for quite some time, so is he the player that will replace Brady’s place in the team? Perhaps. Jimmy’s sizable current cap hit can significantly impact if he is not moved. This is because he would take a massive pay cut if he went to the Buccaneers. This is especially true if the 49ers decide to cut him off the team instead of trading him.
Colin Kaepernick
This might be a pipe dream for some, but should it stay that way? When looking at his past performances, it’s hard to argue the results and the level of his play the last time we saw him on the field.
However, with him being out of the league since 2016, many people doubt his ability to produce this high level of play again. However, there is a silver lining since Kaep has held many workouts with various teams and still has the body of an NFL player to this day.
Daniel Jones
A return to the Giants for the 2023 season is undoubtedly a possibility. Still, with that being said, the chances of Daniel Jones going to the free market is higher than what fans initially believed.
Jones has an excellent pocket presence and great mobility in his arsenal but has an issue with accuracy that he still needs to work on. However, some fans believe that he can’t stretch the field enough to keep the Buccaneers in Super Bowl contention, but that’s just the opinion of others.
Final Words
Although it’s not certain thst Brady will go to the free market for the 2023 season or even play. Many NFL fans have already been speculating which player will replace him if that happens. All we could do right now is to speculate, but we can’t deny that there are many quarterback options for the team. However, will any of them play on the same level as Tom Brady? Who knows?
Buccaneers Reality Check
The reality here is, Kyle Trask is the only logical option on this list. The Buccaneers have a second-round pick and over a year of development invested in Trask. While he hasn’t seen any action aside from preseason, he does have high praise from the coaching staff.
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