Tom Brady’s retired from the NFL. This will be the first time in over 20 years that we will get to watch the NFL without the Greatest Player of All Time. The GOAT has left for that beautiful tradition of retiring in Florida. Since I started watching football, I have seen some many great NFL QBs retire from Brett Farve to the Peyton Manning; Drew Brees to Eli Manning. This is the turning of the page for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and some may wonder: How will my fantasy teams react?
Free Agency
With Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette, and Ronald Jones Jr. all UFA’s, the Bucs will need to sign them back or bring in new players at those positions. Add to that list a string of O-Linemen and defensive players, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could look in a different direction than those stars of the past couple years.
Another name to keep in mind in free agency is O.J. Howard. With Rob Gronkowski likely to retire soon, Howard is a player they could look to re-sign. While he hasn’t been an elite tight end, let’s not forget they drafted him in 2017 for a reason. Being a former first round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has performed well. Has he performed well enough to bring him back though?
Wide Receivers
With Chris Godwin a UFA and Antonio Brown out the door, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may need to look for a couple new WRs this off-season. Currently, they have Mike Evans, Breshad Perriman, Scott Miller, Tyler Johnson, and Jaelon Darden as their top 5 WRs. Mike Evans is clearly in a different class of play as the other four. A couple names for the Bucs to keep in mind should include Michael Gallup, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Mike Williams. All three of these players have done well in the past and would make a great pairing with Evans for whoever plays QB next for Tampa Bay.
Running Backs
The top two RBs for the Bucs (Fournette & RoJo) are UFAs this off season and could be looking to get a starting role for a team. While it is likely one of the two will get the starting role for the Bucs, I’d expect the other to move on in free agency instead of playing second fiddle. That leaves Ke’Shawn Vaughn as the RB2 for the Bucs. If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cannot find a way to keep either of Fournette or RoJo, they very well may look to draft someone like Breece Hall or Isaiah Spiller.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Situation
Time for the questions about who will replace Brady. Will the Bucs look to the draft like the Patriots did? Will they try to bring in a veteran like Jameis Winston? Is Aaron Rodgers about to be trade? Could the Seahawks trade Russell Wilson to the Bucs? Is Kyle Trask the answer? Let’s break down all these options.
Drafting a Rookie
This draft class probably does not have the kind of talent replace someone like Tom Brady. Most drafts do not have a player like Brady. We have been spoiled as a fantasy football community recently with drafts including up and coming legends like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Trevor Lawrence. If they look to the draft, I would think they look for an accurate QB with maneuverability who is likely go later in the first round like Sam Howell, Malik Willis, or Desmond Ridder. A good player who is most likely to play just like Brady coming out of this draft is Carson Strong. Strong is one of the best passers in this draft and can make accurate throws. He’s biggest issue is he cannot run well. I think Strong could come into the NFL and play similarly to Brady or Phillip Rivers.
Bringing a Vet
Personally, I don’t think Kyle Trask is the answer at QB for the Bucs. He seems like a good bridge piece until they find the right answer, though. Trask does have a terrific arm and can make throws in an impressive fashion in college. He just doesn’t seem to have the wow factor. To me, Trask seems like Jameis Winston 2.0 with the Bucs. He could surprise people like me and come out to perform well though.
As to whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will trade for a vet like Rodgers or Wilson, it could happen. However, I doubt they trade for either of them. I think trading for Rodgers or Wilson would be too high of a cost for a team with so many players needing to be re-signed. Rodgers’ contract will cost whoever rosters him around $27.5M this year. Wilson is similar, with a contract costing roughly $24M this next season.
If they look to sign a vet, a reunion with Jameis Winston is possible. Having been drafted first overall by the Bucs and spending two years with Sean Peyton in New Orleans, Winston has improved since his 30TD/30INT with the Bucs.
Last year, Winston won five of seven games with the Saints. He completed 59% of his attempts for over 1100 yards. Winston threw 14 TDs and only 3 interceptions this year. He averaged 167 yards per game, a 8.7% TD ratio, and threw an interception on less than 2% of his throws. Winston could sign back with the for what could be a reunion tour. This team is still in a position to compete for the playoffs and could very well be just a QB away.
Fantasy Impact
Next year will be a different kind of year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It could be another great year if they bring the right players in. Yet it could be a terrible year if they don’t bring back some of their players at the end of their contracts. Whatever they do, it will depend on the QB. If they bring in a rookie, I would lower all players in fantasy. If they bring in a competent player, I would keep most fantasy players around where they are currently. Personally, if all players return, I have both Godwin and Evans as low-end WR1s to high-end WR2s. Fournette would come back as a low-end RB1. Whoever plays TE will be a high-end TE2 for me. If a vet comes in next year, I’ll have them as a low-end QB1.
Hunter Greene
Hunter started writing for The League Winners in the summer of 2021. Hunter has been playing fantasy football for about a decade, starting in middle school. Now he’s a professional landscaper and avid Colts and Purdue fan.