Even before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were considered a destination for Tom Brady, one thing appeared to be pretty clear: they were going to move on from Jameis Winston.
That meant that the Buccaneers would have numerous options under center this offseason, but obviously, once Brady became a realistic target, Tampa Bay pounced.
But why did the Bucs choose the 42-year-old Brady over a younger option like Teddy Bridgewater?
Well, Peter King of NBC Sports says that a couple of factors played into the Buccaneers' decision.
First of all, Tampa Bay still feels that Brady has at least a pair of really good seasons left where he could help the club contend for a Super Bowl. That's not entirely out of the realm of possibility, as Brady just hoisted his sixth Lombardi Trophy in February 2019 and led the New England Patriots to 12 wins this past season.
Also, the Bucs want to establish a winning culture at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers admire Brady's never-ending search for perfection and hope that that quality rubs off on their other players and will live on even when Brady leaves.
Basically, the Buccaneers went with the home run option in Brady over the safe, conservative pick in Bridgewater. Let's also keep in mind that Bridgewater has only started six games since 2016 and has never proven to be anything more than a game manager on the NFL level.
Tampa Bay has not made the playoffs in 12 years, which represents the longest active postseason drought in the NFC, so you can certainly see why the Bucs would jump all over the opportunity to add the GOAT.
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