Tampa Bay Buccaneers Find Replacement for Tom Brady
By Space Coast Daily // March 20, 2023
How do you replace the irreplaceable? Well, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are wrestling with this conundrum at present as they seek to adequately make up for the loss of arguably the greatest player to ever play the game.
Tom Brady has now finally retired, for good, having experienced a tough final season in the NFL, which came after he had initially retired prior to the last campaign, only to reverse his decision some weeks later.
Now the Raymond James Stadium side will look to Baker Mayfield to fill the large Tom Brady-size hole in their roster. The 27-year-old has been signed to a one-year deal worth $8.5 million, and Tampa Bay fans will hope that the former No.1 overall draft pick can make a good fist of it.
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So, is it too much to expect the Buccaneers to fare well without Brady leading the line? Yes, it may well be.
Remember, prior to Brady arriving in Tampa Bay, having served the New England Patriots so well for the best part of two decades; the Buccaneers hadn’t even made it to the play-offs in their previous 12 seasons.
Then Brady led them to a Super Bowl win in his first season and then to subsequent play-off losses in 2021 and 2022. Could Mayfield, therefore, be expected to do likewise?
Mayfield was traded to the Carolina Panthers last July and didn’t impress prior to suffering an injury in week five, having secured a poor 1-4 record. He was then released in December and started four games with the Los Angeles Rams, where his 1-3 record wasn’t really a fair reflection of his marked improvement.
The fact that the Buccaneers only gave the QB a one-year deal shows, to some extent, that Tampa Bay knows this is something of a calculated risk, and there was a suggestion, a week or two back, that they would look to use Kyle Trask in a prominent role, which now seems less likely.
Comments made by Bruce Arians, former Tampa Bay head coach and current senior advisor to GM Jason Licht, appeared to suggest Trask would be given a chance to shine;
“I think we’re in good hands with Kyle Trask,”
“I love Kyle, he’s been there two years now. … Blaine Gabbert was a great mentor for him. But just like three years ago, you’ve got to search what’s behind door number two. Three years ago, we never would’ve guessed Tom Brady was behind door number two. So you do your research, you do all your homework, and then you decide what’s best for you. But right now, I’m very comfortable if Kyle’s our guy.”
