The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are among the teams reportedly interested in longtime New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady as he prepares for free agency.
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians and Co. are “all-in” in their pursuit of Brady.
But Peter King of NBC Sports has a different quarterback in mind for the Buccaneers, mostly because he envisions a head coaching change in the near future.
King said he expects to pursue New Orleans Saints backup Teddy Bridgewater–who went 5-0 in five starts this past season–because he thinks Arians wants to hand the reins over to Buccaneers offensive coordinator and former NFL quarterback Byron Leftwich (via Ryan Hannable of WEEI):
“I think the Bucs are probably more likely to try and sign Teddy Bridgewater,” King said. “And it is nothing at all against Tom Brady, but I have thought all along that — look, here is the way I view the Bucs: I think Bruce Arians wants to coach a couple of more years and then I think he wants to leave the team in the hands of Byron Leftwich, if it keeps going this way, his offensive coordinator and the former NFL quarterback. He loves Byron Leftwich. After having seen couple of Buccaneers practices last summer, I can see why he loves him. The guy is a phenomenal hands-on quarterback coach.
It is understandable why King feels the Buccaneers would sign Bridgewater if Leftwich is indeed the next man in line. After all, he would likely prefer having a young quarterback to work with rather than entertaining the prospect of starting over once Brady retires.
Then again, Brady is regarded by many as the best quarterback in NFL history, and the Buccaneers might feel they can contend for a Super Bowl if they add him to an offense that already employs a pair of Pro Bowl wide receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Regardless, it is intriguing to hear King's take on Leftwich, who only just finished his second year as an offensive coordinator with the Buccaneers.
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