Tom Brady’s career was supposed to come to an end on Feb. 1, 2022. He announced that day he was retiring after his age-44 season and 22 years in the NFL.
It turned out that announcement was a bit premature.
Brady unretired just 40 days after his initial farewell and is now set to quarterback the Buccaneers for at least one more season.
While Tampa Bay is glad to get Brady back and have another run at a championship, the team’s brain trust will need to keep one eye on the future as things move forward. After all, Brady is no guarantee to stick around after the 2022 campaign, and his excused, 10-day absence in the middle of the preseason is raising some eyebrows and some questions about his future.
If this is, in fact, Brady’s last season, the Buccaneers are going to be faced with some critical decisions at the quarterback spot. They will need to ask themselves whether they need to find a successor to Brady or whether they can trust one of the options already on their roster.
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Tampa Bay got a head start on that last offseason when Brady retired, but what does its succession plan look like behind the GOAT? Here are Tampa Bay’s most likely options to eventually replace Brady, ranked.
Buccaneers succession plan after Tom Brady
1. Roll with Kyle Trask as the starter
The Buccaneers invested in a potential successor for Brady during the 2020 NFL Draft. They spent a second-round selection on former Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, and it seems like he is poised to get a crack at the starting job once Brady actually calls it quits.
Bucs GM Jason Licht spoke well of Trask at the 2022 NFL Combine before Brady announced his return.
Kyle was a really productive prolific SEC quarterback. We love everything that we’ve seen from him this year. He’s soaked it in behind Tom, behind Blaine [Gabbert], behind Ryan Griffin, some really smart veteran quarterbacks. . . to see what it takes to reach a high level with Tom has been, you know, it’s just invaluable.
Though Brady is back, Trask has had plenty of chances to showcase his craft. Thus far, he has impressed in limited preseason action and completed 25 of 33 passes for 258 yards, one touchdown and an interception against the Dolphins.
Perhaps with another year of seasoning under his belt, Trask will be ready to make the leap into the starting quarterback role. Either way, he is the best potential successor currently on the Buccaneers’ roster.
2. Attempt to find a successor early in the 2023 NFL Draft
The Buccaneers seem to like Trask, but if they sour on him, they could always target a potential replacement in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The 2023 draft is expected to be loaded at the quarterback position. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young profile as the two best passers and seem likely to be top-five picks if all goes well for them.
Tampa Bay won’t be able to easily land either Stroud or Young, but if the Bucs fall in love with either, they could trade up to nab their replacement for Brady. If not, there are several other potential first- or second-round options including Will Levis, Tanner McKee, Phil Jurkovec and Devin Leary.
Even if the Buccaneers don’t target an early-round quarterback, they could still bring in some young competition for Trask. That would set them up for an intriguing quarterback battle for the right to replace Brady.
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3. Target a win-now veteran on the trade market
Tampa Bay has a strong roster that should still be competitive when Brady retires. If the Bucs are reluctant to go for a full rebuild but also don’t want a young quarterback to lead them, then they could do what they did during the 2020 offseason and pursue a veteran upgrade.
The Buccaneers signed Brady as a free agent after his 20-year stint with the Patriots came to an end. They aren’t likely to have that kind of success on the free-agent market in 2023, but we have seen more top-tier quarterbacks get traded in recent years.
Matthew Stafford went to the Rams; Russell Wilson was traded to the Broncos; the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson despite the numerous off-the-field concerns surrounding him. Even on the lower end of things, guys like Baker Mayfield, Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz were dealt during the 2022 NFL offseason.
Perhaps one of these veterans will shake loose for the Buccaneers in 2023. It’s hard to predict now who that might be, but if the Bucs believe they are a quarterback away from making another championship run, they will pursue whoever is available on the trade market at all costs.
4. Scout the free-agent market for potential starters
On paper, the 2023 free-agent quarterback class looks stronger than usual. That’s largely because Lamar Jackson is set to be a part of it.
However, Jackson isn’t going to leave the Ravens in 2023 as a free agent. The team will almost certainly slap him with the franchise tag if they can’t agree to a long-term extension.
Jackson’s likely elimination from the potential free agent rankings will significantly weaken them. There would still be options with starting experience, but none inspire much hope for long-term success as a starter.
| Player | 2022 salary |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | $27.5 million |
| Baker Mayfield | $8.2 million |
| Sam Darnold | $7.6 million |
| Teddy Bridgewater | $6.5 million |
| Daniel Jones | $6.4 million |
Maybe things will change between Jackson and the Ravens, but that still seems like a move that Tampa Bay would have to make on the trade market. So, unless the Bucs really like Mayfield, they will probably look elsewhere for a Brady successor.
MORE: Why the Buccaneers signed Carl Nassib, explained
5. Utilize veteran stopgaps Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Griffin to buy time to find a successor
This would be the worst-case scenario for the Bucs, in all likelihood. If Trask isn’t ready and they aren’t able to land a true upgrade at the quarterback spot, they may turn to a couple of veterans that have been with them long-term in Gabbert and Griffin.
Both Gabbert and Griffin are set to be free agents in 2023, but neither would command much — if any — attention on the open market.
Gabbert, 32, has backed up Brady each of the last two years but has a career record of 13-35 with a 56.3 completion percentage, 9,273 yards, 50 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.
Meanwhile, Griffin has been with Tampa Bay since 2015 but has attempted just four total passes. He has completed two of them for 18 yards.
Neither Gabbert nor Griffin would inspire much hope, but they are familiar with Byron Leftwich’s offense. So, if they are brought back to compete with Trask, it’s feasible that one would win.
Still, the Bucs are probably looking to have a much better plan than that whenever they are officially forced to move on from Brady.
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