If the Tampa Buccaneers elect to move on from Jameis Winston, it doesn’t appear Tom Brady will be their top choice.
Of course, Brady is set to hit unrestricted free agency next week for the first time in his legendary career. The initial thought was Brady would have loads of suitors, but more recent reports seem to indicate that teams aren’t exactly kicking down the door to sign him. After all, his play did decline in 2019 and he’ll be 43-years-old when next season begins.
But one team said to have interest was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, according to NFL Insider Peter King, the Bucs might actually prefer Teddy Bridgewater.
“I think the Bucs are probably more likely to try and sign Teddy Bridgewater,” King said on WEEI’s “Dale & Keefe” program. “And it is nothing at all against Tom Brady, but I have thought all along that — look, here is the way I view the Bucs: I think Bruce Arians wants to coach a couple of more years and then I think he wants to leave the team in the hands of Byron Leftwich, if it keeps going this way, his offensive coordinator and the former NFL quarterback. He loves Byron Leftwich. After having seen couple of Bucs practices last summer, I can see why he loves him. The guy is a phenomenal hands-on quarterback coach. … Even though their offense is predicated on being throwing the ball downfield, I think they have come to the conclusion that a guy like Bridgewater has plenty enough arm to play for them. That would be my guess.
“I can’t tell you right now whether that would eliminate Tom Brady, or if Brady said, ‘I really want to play for you guys,’ whether they wouldn’t do that, I have just got a feeling through this process that if I had to put a quarterback in Tampa, that I would pick Teddy Bridgewater.”
All of this makes sense, and it’s worth mentioning Brady probably would prefer to play for a contender at this stage of his career. The Bucs have talent, but it’s not as though they’re just a quarterback away from being a legit threat.
The new league year is scheduled to begin Wednesday, with the legal tampering beginning Monday.
