Bucs Pro Bowler expects Tom Brady’s retirement to therapize Tampa Bay’s record with Baker Mayfield

Tom Brady is gone from the Buccaneers, but No. 12's Super Bowl will not be forgotten. However, based on a statement made by the quarterback's former teammate, Tristan Wirfs, the team is looking to forget his final season in earnest. When asked about what record the team will have in 2023, he set the bar 50% higher at "12-5," according to Vikes Verified via CBS Sports.

Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask will be duking it out for starting honors this summer, but analysts seem to be leaning Mayfield's way in the early going.

Last season, Brady led the team to a pretty lukewarm season that won the NFC South, but with a negative record. Some may argue that the first negative record of his career was a result of him sitting part of the final game of the year to rest for the playoffs, but the numbers are what they are.

Legends falter in 2022: Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady mark endings

No. 12 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Atlanta Falcons

For a variety of reasons, 2022 was a transitional year for some of the biggest names in the game. The new guard has fully taken over and the older star quarterbacks of the last generation took a step down all at once. The aforementioned Brady put up his worst win total of his career while the same can be said of Russell Wilson.

No. 3 kicked off the transition year with an end to his time in Seattle via an explosive trade to the Denver Broncos. Many hyped up the move, but he put up his worst season by far in several notable catagories.

Aaron Rodgers, while salvaging a watchable December push, ultimately put up the second-worst win total of his career in seasons that he played at least 10 games. Shortly thereafter, his era in Green Bay ended.

Now, 2023 is an opportunity for two of the three players to set the stage for a brighter ending to their careers. For Rodgers and his grey beard, the end could come at any time. Wilson, meanwhile, is attempting to set the stage for a bright final chapter that could still be another five years or longer.

Of course, if he fails in the same way he did in 2022, the end could come much sooner. Will the last of the old guard get the final laugh over the incoming generation, or have they already stayed too long?