Tom Brady has shocked the NFL world yet again by announcing his retirement early on Wednesday morning. After a historic 23-season career, Brady has officially decided to hang up his cleats, and he leaves the game as the greatest player the NFL has ever seen for several key reasons. Yet while everyone is focused on Brady, and for good reason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are immediately going to have to plot their next move.
The Buccaneers brought Brady onboard during the 2020 offseason without any future plan at quarterback. It paid off, because Tampa Bay won the ensuing Super Bowl, but now that Brady is gone, the team has no real plan at quarterback. They knew this day would come at some point, but now that it's here, the Bucs certainly have their work cut out for them.
So where do the Buccaneers go from here at quarterback? Luckily for them, there appears to be quite a bit of turnover at the quarterback position this offseason, so there should be some solid options available in both free agency and on the trade market for them. So with that in mind, let's take a look at the Bucs three best quarterback options for 2023 and see how they could be acquired.
3. Jacoby Brissett
Signing Jacoby Brissett in free agency might not be the flashiest option, but it's certainly a safe move that would ensure the Bucs would at least remain competitive in an extremely weak NFC South. And based on the fact that the team now is left with Kyle Trask and Blaine Gabbert at quarterback, it's safe to say that this would be a pretty significant upgrade.
Brissett was tasked with filling in for Deshaun Watson with the Cleveland Browns while Watson served his 11-game suspension to start the 2022 campaign. By now, it's clear Brissett doesn't exactly have a high ceiling, but he has a decent floor, and while he only went 4-7 in his 11 games, it's clear he can hold his own when he finds himself under center.
Brissett's numbers in his 11-game stint are pretty solid (236/369, 2608 YDS, 12 TD, 6 INT, 49 CAR, 243 YDS, 2 TD) and based on how bad Watson looked after returning from his suspension, it's safe to say that Brissett will likely be looking for a starting job this offseason. He has certainly earned it, and the Buccaneers now have a vacancy that they will be looking to fill this offseason, making Brissett an immediate top option.
2. Derek Carr
The Las Vegas Raiders were expected to be a playoff contender at the very least in 2022, but they failed miserably, and are now expected to trade Derek Carr this offseason. Carr was benched for the Raiders final two games of the season, and the Raiders will now be looking to move on from him after his ugly first season working with new head coach Josh McDaniels.
The Raiders put together a team designed to help Carr win in 2022, but he ended up playing worse than he did in 2021 when everything was falling apart for Las Vegas. Carr's numbers weren't necessarily bad (305/502, 3522 YDS, 24 TD, 14 INT) but considering all the talent he had around him, the fact that he only posted a 6-9 record in his 15 starts isn't exactly a good sign.
Carr still is a talented quarterback, and the Buccaneers could likely win the NFC South again if they managed to get a starting-caliber quarterback under center for the 2023 season. Carr may not be super expensive given his big contract, and if Tampa Bay believes he can bounce back after a rough 2022 campaign, it would make a lot of sense for them to go out and pull off a trade for him this offseason.
1. Jimmy Garoppolo
It was strange to see Jimmy Garoppolo still be with the San Francisco 49ers heading into the 2022 season despite the team's insistence that they would be turning things over to Trey Lance under center. And while the Niners have several big questions at the quarterback position this offseason, there's a very good chance that Garoppolo will end up on a new team one way or another.
Garoppolo is set to hit free agency this offseason, and while San Fran can place the franchise tag on him, even if they do, it would likely only be so that they can facilitate a trade involving Garoppolo. The likelihood of that happening has certainly increased now that Brady has retired and left Garoppolo as the best potential quarterback option on the market this offseason.
Garoppolo was solid in his ten starts this season (207/308, 2437 YDS, 16 TD, 4 INT) and he has proven that he can win games when he's on the field. He certainly wouldn't have as much help as he's had with San Francisco, but the Buccaneers could make some noise if they managed to land Garoppolo, and if they want to remain competitive in 2023, bringing him on board would be their best option at quarterback.
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