Tampa Bay Buccaneers can't make the same mistake as Patriots with Tom Brady
Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a similar situation as the New England Patriots – Tom Brady and what to do after his NFL career is over.
New England did not plan for the departure of Brady. Tampa Bay need to make sure that they have a plan set and execute that plan.
Where the Patriots went wrong was they let Brady send Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers. New England had their quarterback if Tom Brady elected to leave or retire.
For reasons unknown, Tom Brady met with Robert Kraft and the next thing you know Jimmy Garoppolo is traded to San Francisco.
Now Tom Brady is set to make his tenth NFL Super Bowl appearance and the Patriots missed the NFL playoffs for the first time in 20 years.
Once Tom Brady announced that he was going to play for another franchise, it put the Patriots in a pickle. They had to scrounge around to find a starting quarterback.
New England did not have enough confidence in Jarrett Stidham to lead their team throughout the season.
This led to the Patriots signing veteran quarterback Cam Newton. At the time, Cam Newton was posting workout videos on social media stating that he is back being the old Cam.
It took about four to five weeks for the New England Patriots to realize that Cam Newton was not the answer at quarterback.
The problem was the Patriots didn't have another option. When Tom Brady left, the Patriots were like a lost dog who just lost their owner.
The big question is, how do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handle their similar situation?
The Buccaneers have three options on what to do with their Brady situation.
Let's take a look at the three options the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can take to not fall into the same problem as the New England Patriots.
Option 1: Tampa Bay Buccaneers can draft a QB in 2021 NFL Draft
The Buccaneers could draft a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. One quarterback that has the NFL frame and is not getting a lot of recognition is K.J. Costello.
Costello is not ready to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, which is why the Buccaneers don't need him to be one right now.
K.J. Costello will have the opportunity to sit behind the best quarterback to ever play in the NFL. Brady has made it known that he has definitely thought about playing until he is 45 years old.
If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft Costello this year, it gives him at least three seasons to be a sponge and learn everything he can from Brady.
One thing that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cannot do is let Brady determine if they draft a quarterback.
If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers let Tom Brady do what he did in New England, we will see a similar outcome.
Brady will walk away and retire and the Buccaneers will be stuck without a quarterback.
Option 2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers trade for a younger NFL quarterback
Chicago Bears have not been completely sold on Mitchell Trubisky.
They brought in veteran back-up quarterback Nick Foles in hopes that Foles could light a fire under Trubisky. Instead the Bears' quarterback situation became an even bigger dumpster fire.
Trubisky did help lead the Bears to the 2021 NFL playoffs, but its safe to say that he is not their future.
This is where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can step in and trade for Trubisky. Mitchell needs guidance and needs to learn how to be an NFL quarterback.
Mitchell Trubisky will have that opportunity in Tampa Bay.
Bruce Arians and Tom Brady are great leaders. Trubisky will be receiving great skills for on and off the football field.
It will also give him the time to develop, which he did not have in Chicago. He was expected to step in and hold the weight of the franchise.
In Tampa Bay, Trubisky will be asked to learn and soak up as much knowledge as possible.
Option 3: Tampa Bay Buccaneers let it ride out and pick up a free agent quarterback
Daniel Jones is currently the starting quarterback for the New York Giants. His rookie contract will be up as of the 2023 NFL off-season.
If Tom Brady does in fact decide to play until he is 45, it could benefit the Buccaneers in the long run.
The 2022 NFL free agent quarterback group is full of players who are going to sign mega deals with their current teams.
There is a good possibility that the Giants move off of Daniel Jones if they do not make the playoffs soon.
Jones is not a bad quarterback and has performed great with what he has to work with.
If the Giants move off of Daniel Jones and he becomes a free agent, he will find a great home with the Buccaneers.
Jones could potentially spend one year behind Tom Brady during Brady's farewell tour. This isn't necessarily a bad thing for Daniel Jones.
It gives him time to learn the new offense and build chemistry with the wide receivers.
If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can land Daniel Jones in free agency he will only be 26 years old. Not to mention he has three years of NFL experience as a starter.