Hoodie Network
Tom Brady retired… and then unretired. Well, he never actually retired… we think. WHAT IS HAPPENING? To be completely honest, nobody except for Tom Brady knows.
Here’s what matters: If Tom Brady is gone, how attractive of a landing spot is Tampa Bay for a potential quarterback? Some would say A+, best spot in the league. I mean they won the Super Bowl last year. Initially, this was also my position. This segment was originally going to be a “The Bucs is the Best Landing Spot for One of The Top QBs” article. But as I started writing it, I started to convince myself of the opposite. I mean, it looks extremely attractive when you look at it on paper. Let’s assign each group a letter grade to get a better look at things. QB ?, RB B+, WR A-, TE B+, OL A+ | DL B+, LB A, DB A. This is great! Well, here at Hoodie Network we believe that Context is Key. Let’s get a little deeper.
Quarterback grade depends on who is playing there next year. I would grade the running back room as above average. They have Leonard Fournette as their lead back. Ronald Jones II is the backup and Ke’Shawn Vaughn is a young guy (although technically older than Jones II) who has shown a lot of promise in his limited time on the field.
Receiver is where it can get interesting. Mike Evans is under contract through 2023. I’m sure they’d love to keep him beyond that, but they would really need to get creative with the books to do so. It’s not impossible, but it could mean making other tough decisions in free agency. One of those decisions is Chris Godwin’s future. Spotrac gives him a market value of around $18 million/yr. That’s a lot of money, IF he chooses to stay. He might decide to chase the bag to another team, whether Tom Brady retires or not. They’ve got other nice young players, but Chris Godwin’s, and down the line Mike Evan’s, decision will impact the talent in the WR room.
If Tom Brady goes, it’s almost a downright conclusion that Gronk goes too. I find it very difficult to imagine a scenario where Gronk plays another season without his best friend Tom. That leaves Cameron Brate (30 yrs old) and O.J. Howard (average at best and injury prone). Tight end would be left as a concern at best, if not a flat-out weakness.
The bright spot of this offense is the offensive line. They are one of the best in the league. The future is bright since they aren’t aging veterans who would be prone to decline in ability. RT Tristan Wirfs is young and one of the best tackles in football. He should be around for a long time. LT Donovan Smith and LG Ali Marpet are signed through 2023. On the other hand, C Ryan Jensen and RG Alex Cappa are free agents. Resigning Jensen wouldn’t raise the cap number too much, but Cappa is a candidate for a generous raise, which might have to come from another team. No matter what, this group has at least 2 more years of top-notch play left in them, but it should continue beyond that.
The defense is the other bright spot on this team. Well… maybe. The defensive line seems very good, but Ndamukong Suh is 35 and Jason Pierre-Paul is 33 (plus he didn’t play very well this year). They will likely need younger, or better, replacements. Anthony Nelson has played well but lacks experience, and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has heaps of potential but needs to put it all together. Vita Vea and Shaquille Barrett are the diamonds of this line, who are already signed for years to come. A few question marks, but overall solid.
The linebacker core is as athletic as it gets. Devin White and Lavonte David are maybe the best linebacker paring in the league. White struggled when David wasn’t on the field, but when they are together this duo complements each other perfectly. However, David is 32 years old. How many years at the top does he have left? And if David isn’t playing at the same level, how capable of filling that hole is Devin White?
The DBs have played well for the Bucs. Antione Winfield Jr has been phenomenal. However, it’s not all good news. Carlton Davis is a free agent. Jordan Whitehead is a free agent. Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamal Dean have one year before they get paid. The other corners with meaningful minutes are older players who played well but could be replaced. I expect resigning these players to be a priority, but there’s only so much money to go around.
So far, we have only been concerned with the roster. What about the coaching staff? Bruce Arians was retired a couple years ago. I have a feeling that he might retire again if he loses Tom Brady. Then the coordinators: OC Byron Leftwich and DC Todd Bowles. These two are on the top of many franchises’ list of head coach candidates. Bruce Arians has given them a lot of credit for the success of the Bucs. Who knows how long they will be around? How much would their departure impact how good this team could be?
A team known for its receiving talent, strong pass rush, superhero quarterback, and one of the best coaching staffs in football could soon be a team with a question mark at QB, lackluster talent at pass catcher, big holes in their defense, and a coaching staff overhaul. If you are a quarterback looking for a new home, how confident are you in the Bucs? How good will the team be in 2, 3, 4 years? They very well could still be great, but don’t rule out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being much closer to the top of the draft again.