The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still celebrating the signing of six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, who instantly becomes the biggest free agent ever to come to Tampa.
The Bucs are hoping Brady and his winning ways will be able to pull them from the doldrums of the NFL, where they’ve been for 12-straight seasons, with their last playoff berth coming after the 2007 season. Giving Brady one of the league’s best offenses along with two of its best receivers — Mike Evans and Chris Godwin — could be a recipe for success. Keep in mind, too, that next year’s Super Bowl will take place at the Bucs’ home of Raymond James Stadium. Getting the Bucs there would make Brady the first quarterback ever to play a Super Bowl in his home stadium. (Talk about added motivation.)
But there is risk in signing Brady, especially when you consider he’ll be 43 years old when the 2020 season begins. That may be why Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com believes the Buccaneers could still target Brady’s successor in the upcoming draft, maybe even in the form of Washington quarterback Jacob Eason.
Per Jeremiah:
“As I mentioned above, the Bucs won the Tom Brady sweepstakes in free agency. For this reason, I believe they will give him some help (likely on the defensive side of the ball) in the first round. However, I could see them targeting a quarterback in the second round to eventually take over for Brady. Everyone I’ve spoken to about Eason believes he’ll end up in Tampa Bay. His big arm is a great fit for Bruce Arians’ offense and he would be afforded the luxury of time to develop behind Brady. In a perfect world, Eason would sit for two seasons before Brady retires and hands him the reins to the offense.”
Prior to Brady’s signing, some mock drafts had the Bucs taking Eason all the way at No. 14, especially since he has some “Carson Palmer vibes.” If the Bucs have a chance at taking him in the second round, it could be a worthy investment.
Keep in mind that the Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 draft, when Brady was still in top form. Having Jimmy G sit behind the Golden Boy for a few years paid dividends in the end for both Jimmy G and the Pats, who benefited from his solid play at the start of the 2016 season while Brady served his suspension stemming from Deflategate. Jimmy G used those games to showcase his stuff and eventually landed in San Francisco with the Niners.
The Bucs might want to invest in their next quarterback of the future while they have Brady on their roster. Clearly, it has worked out in the past.
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