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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers previously saw a disappointing end to their 2021 season after suffering an early exit in the playoffs. After failing to defend their title, the team will now focus on the offseason where they will aim to address some of the holes on their roster.
Luckily for the Bucs, they still have a loaded squad on both sides of the ball that is capable of contending for a title next season. However, more emphasis will be put on the starting quarterback position after Tom Brady officially announced his retirement in early February.
As of the moment, Tampa Bay has an approximate $19.4 million in salary-cap space for the upcoming offseason. Tweaking the contracts of the other players on their roster will help them in their bid to bring in a new gunslinger under center. Without a doubt, the QB that they will be getting will surely play a major role in leading the team back to the Super Bowl stage as soon as possible.
With that said, let's take a look at three reasons why the Bucs must make a huge run at a solid playmaker in the 2022 NFL offseason.
Buccaneers QB Situation Unpacked (Thanks, Tom Brady)
3. The NFC South is still up for grabs.
In recent years, the New Orleans Saints have been dominating the NFC South until Brady made his way to the Buccaneers in the 2020 season. The Louisiana-based squad remains to be a solid team in the division though they have evidently regressed after longtime quarterback Drew Brees retired at the end of last season. However, a ton of question marks linger around their capability to perform as they are set to play without head coach Sean Payton at the helm in 2022.
On the other hand, both the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers have yet to see the end of their rebuilding efforts as they finished third and fourth in the NFC South, respectively. If the Buccaneers manage to retain most of their key guys and grab a talented QB then they will surely be in good shape to run away with the division title next season.
2. They don't have a young gunslinger who can take over as a full-time starter in the near future.
After seeing a disappointing performance from Jimmy Garoppolo in the playoffs, the San Francisco 49ers still have leverage due to the presence of Trey Lance. Despite getting limited snaps, the 21-year-old still showed flashes of his potential whenever he played on the field. Unfortunately, the Bucs are not in the same situation as they do not have a young QB who is being groomed to take over sometime in the near future, unlike the Niners.
Yes, they currently have Kyle Trask but he didn't get to suit up for the entirety of the 2021 season despite being selected in the second round of the previous draft. Without any playing experience in the pros, the Bucs can't simply name him as a starter and expect him to lead them to victories right away.
With that said, the only viable option for Tampa Bay is to go after a tenured QB who has already proven himself and has accumulated enough experience in the league.
1. The Buccaneers have too much talent to not have a solid QB under center.
Without a doubt, the Bucs have one of the most complete rosters in the league. This was also the primary reason why they were able to win a title right away in Tom Brady's first campaign with the team last season. The level of talent on both sides of the ball just fitted perfectly with the star quarterback's ability to make plays for his teammates on a consistent basis.
Currently, the Bucs have a handful of players who are set to enter free agency led by Chris Godwin, Ndamukong Suh, and Leonard Fournette. The front office will certainly work to secure the services of these key players but aside from them, they still have Mike Evans, Lavonte David, and Devin White under contract for the 2022 season.
With that amount of talent, a veteran QB will surely be needed in order to bring the best out of this deep roster and lead them to another title moving forward.
