The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a bold move to improve their already dominant wide receiver group this offseason, signing Russell Gage to a three-year contract.
Gage will be the No. 3 receiver in Tampa Bay’s explosive offense when everyone’s healthy, but with Pro Bowler Chris Godwin still working his way back from a season-ending knee injury, Gage will be expected to serve as the No. 2 target for Tom Brady if Godwin isn’t ready when the season starts.
Brady was recently asked about what it will take for he and Gage to develop the kind of chemistry necessary to be effective this season, and the GOAT made it clear that his newest pass-catcher has his work cut out for him.
“A lot of work,” Brady said. “A lot of work. He has to have a big year. We signed him to a contract and he has to come in and do a great job. In the time I’ve spent with him, I really enjoy it and I think he has a great opportunity.”
Brady emphasized the importance of Gage’s role in the offense, while lauding the depth the Bucs already have at the position heading into the 2022 season.
“That is a very important role for an offense that throws the ball as much as we do,” Brady said. “We have very favorable passing conditions. You need a lot of good receivers. We have depth at receiver – obviously, Mike [Evans] is a great player. Chris [Godwin] is coming off a pretty significant injury, so Russell has to do a great job. And Scotty [Miller], ‘BP’ (Breshad Perriman), Cyril [Grayson Jr.], Jaelon [Darden], Tyler [Johnson] – all those guys who have experience and have played, they have to do a great job too. It’s a very competitive room. I think Russ, when he is out there, there is a lot of work that needs to go into the next six weeks to be ready.”
Evans and Godwin have been one of the NFL’s best receiver tandems over the past few years, but injuries exposed Tampa Bay’s lack of proven depth at the position last year. Gage was brought in to make an immediate, significant impact for one of the league’s most dynamic offenses, and Brady is clearly ready to hold him to that championship standard.
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