Brady the Buccaneer

With the Buccaneers moving off of Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay signed one of the most decorated quarterbacks of all time.

Jack Kirk, Sports Editor

After five seasons with one of the most polarizing quarterbacks of the decade, Jameis Winston, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided that they needed to make a change at the position. In an unusually rich quarterback market, the Buccaneers caught what many considered to be the biggest prize available, former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

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After playing with the Patriots for 20 seasons, Brady decided it was time to part ways with the organization and look to build his legacy with another team. That meant that a three-time NFL MVP was now up for grabs for many teams who were looking for their future at the quarterback position.

Tampa Bay has not been known for their quarterbacks, with a lot of inconsistent or just bad quarterback play for the vast majority of the 44 years the team has existed. From journeymen quarterbacks like Josh McCown and Ryan Fitzpatrick, to failed projects in Josh Freeman and Jameis Winston, Tampa has never found a true franchise quarterback with success and longevity. Even the sole championship won by the franchise saw mediocre quarterback Brad Johnson at the helm, with the big story about that team being an all-time great defense with Hall of Fame players Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp.

Since Tom Brady entered the league in 2000, the quarterback has won more super bowl rings (six) than the Buccaneers have had playoff appearances (five). Hopefully, this level of prestie will carry over for the Bucs.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Brady’s contract is worth $50 million with a possibility for another $9 million in incentives. The contract is for the next two seasons, meaning his contract would expire when he is 44 years old.

Head coach Bruce Arians has worked with quarterbacks late into their careers before, as can be seen with his time in Arizona working with Carson Palmer, giving him a bit of a career resurgence in his time working with him.

This move will be paring up Tom Brady with two Pro Bowl receivers, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Putting Brady with the skill players on offense has Tampa fans, as well as football fans in general, excited to see what kind of offensive numbers this core can out up.

The Bucs reasoning for leaving Jameis Winston behind dealt with him being extremely turnover prone despite putting up big offensive numbers. Brady is much safer with the ball, with only having eight interceptions last season compared to Winston’s 30.

The Buccaneers now have a two-year window with Tom Brady to push for the franchise’s second Super Bowl title. All eyes will be on Tampa Bay, now all that is left to happen is sit back and watch potential history being written.