TAMPA, Fla. — For the first time in three years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are entering the offseason with a big question mark surrounding the team's most dependent position — quarterback.
Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL at the beginning of the month, so there are plenty of more questions than answers offensively for Tampa Bay.
On the bright side, head coach Todd Bowles has already addressed a coaching staff vacancy by hiring former Seattle quarterbacks coach Dave Canales as the new offensive coordinator nearly one week ago.
The only quarterback that Canales has on his Bucs offensive roster is Kyle Trask, who was selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Depending on how he performs at minicamp, Trask could prove to Canales that he should get the nod as the starting quarterback, especially after learning from Brady over the past two years.
If Canales isn’t convinced, it won't be the end of the world for the Bucs as there will be a few solid quarterback options available in free agency.
Before we get into the possible quarterbacks Tampa Bay might be looking at, we have set three levels on the possibility of each player joining the organization.
The reach level is for a player least likely to come to the Bucs due to financial reasons, the possible level is for quarterbacks that may not demand as much money but are attracting interest from several teams around the league, and then there's the safe level, which is for players who are a low-cost, decent option and will serve as a bridge quarterback – barring a tremendous season – if signed.
Reach
Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson would be a dream come true for most NFL coaches to have a player like him on their team.
The 2019 MVP is a “system player” and is among the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Plus, his contract is set to expire next month and a deal to resign with Baltimore has yet to be announced. Multiple reports have suggested that Jackson and the Ravens have not yet agreed to an extension due to financial reasons.
However, Baltimore does have the opportunity to franchise tag Jackson to keep him next season instead of offering him a multi-year deal. That seems the most likely scenario to happen, but even if he does become a free agent, the Bucs would have to splash a good amount of cash on Jackson — which may prove difficult considering that the team is projected to be $55 million over the salary cap.
Daniel Jones
Similar to Jackson, New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is entering the offseason as a free agent and still has yet to resign with his team.
Jones helped lead his side to the NFC Divisional round in the playoffs this past season, so it makes the most sense for New York to bring back a critical piece of their recent "success."
However, the Giants have to also figure out how to bring back running back Saquon Barkley as his contract is also about to expire. The good thing for New York is that they have an estimated $43.3 million in cap space.
That would seem like enough money to keep Jones and Barkley, but according to Bleacher Report, contract talks between Jones and the Giants have continued to stall after he requested to get $45 million per year.
If that's the case, the Bucs could find trouble landing the potential free agent with how high his asking price could be.
Possible
Derek Carr
Every offseason there's usually that one quarterback who's available and can make an instant impact on a team. This year, that’s former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
He was released by Las Vegas on Feb. 14 and is officially a free agent. Carr will turn 32 years old in March, meaning that he still has plenty of prime football ahead of him.
He was the Raiders' career leader in passing yards and touchdown passes. However, those stats and his pure talent are also what make him a desirable option for other quarterback-needy teams around the league.
The Associated Press reported that Carr had a visit with the Saints, but a trade deal did not work out between Las Vegas and New Orleans. Now, Carr is expected to have a meeting with the New York Jets this weekend, according to the Associated Press.
Again, the Bucs will have to deal with their salary cap issues quickly if the team wants a shot at persuading Carr to sign and enjoy the Tampa life.
Jimmy Garoppolo
San Fransisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Feb. 1 that he does not expect quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to return next season.
With him set to become a free agent, Tampa Bay can look into bringing Garoppolo to their facility.
He has a 38-17 record as a starter with the 49ers and started in the 49ers' loss against Kansas City in Super Bowl LIV.
One factor that makes Garoppolo more appealing to the Bucs is that he will most likely be less expensive compared to other quarterbacks. However, Tampa Bay will not be the only team looking at Garoppolo in the free agency market.
Safe
Blaine Gabbert
Tampa Bay quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who has been with the team for the past four seasons, will become an unrestricted free agent if the team does not offer him a new contract.
Gabbert has never secured a starting role with the Bucs. Instead, he served as Brady's backup and made sporadic appearances when the team was up by a lot of points.
Resigning Gabbert will be a low-risk move because Tampa Bay will be bringing back a player who is familiar with his receivers and the playbook. It will also be a cheaper option at quarterback. However, he will still have to face competition with Trask to claim a starting role.
One thing that might increase his chances to start is that he's been described by Bowles as a great person and someone who always trains hard. This is something that has been echoed by former head coach Bruce Arians — who was willing to give Gabbert the starting job when Brady first announced his retirement in 2022.
Sam Darnold
After helping the Carolina Panthers finish with a 7-10 record and narrowly missing out on the NFC South title to Tampa Bay, Sam Darnold will most likely become a free agent in the offseason.
Carolina will have their eyes set on the upcoming draft to pick their new starting quarterback for next season, but Darnold may have just done enough for other teams around the league to consider signing him — even if it means as a bridge quarterback.
Like Gabbert, Darnold will be a low-cost option.
Other QBs to keep an eye on
The following quarterbacks are set to become unrestricted free agents and can possibly stir some interest from the Bucs:
- Baker Mayfield - Los Angeles Rams
- Teddy Bridgewater - Miami Dolphins
- Jacoby Brissett - Cleveland Browns
- Andy Dalton - New Orleans Saints
- Tyler Huntley - Baltimore Ravens
- Gardner Minshew - Philadelphia Eagles
2023 NFL Draft
This year's NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 27.
Tampa Bay will have the 19th pick in the first round. Typically, that's too far of a pick to land a top quarterback prospect. But this year, there will most likely be four quarterbacks selected in the first round: Alabama's Bryce Young, Kentucky's Will Levis, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Florida's Anthony Richardson.
Depending on the priorities of other teams heading into the draft, the Bucs are in a hopeful position to select a quarterback — with Richardson heavily favored to be the last one picked out of those four — should they choose to go that route.
The NFL's free agency window is scheduled to begin on March 15.