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When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Tom Brady, they knew they were opening the door to a Super Bowl victory. However, they were also opening the door to having to deal with a sudden retirement from the quarterback.
Turns out, they got both outcomes. In the wake of the quarterback's retirement, the team is in purgatory.
They find themselves in a situation in which they could either have the most accomplished quarterback in NFL history, or have to start over with an inexperienced young quarterback.
Faced with the prospect of starting over or allowing Brady to come back, the choice is pretty clear.
Speaking on Good Morning Football, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht stated that the team is keeping the door open for the quarterback to return.
We’ll see what the future holds. Let’s just say we’ll leave the light on. We always leave the light on for a guy like Tom Brady”
What if Tom Brady doesn't return?
Of course, the team cannot solely sit around and wait for the nearly 44-year-old quarterback to potentially get bored of retirement.
If that is the strategy, the team could face plant harder than any other in 2022. Instead, the team likely had a contingency plan in place if and when the quarterback retired.
Put simply, it is now time to put that plan into motion.
Whether it is signing a free agent quarterback, drafting a new one, or both, it is time for the team to move on. Even if the quarterback returns, it will only buy the team time. Sooner or later, it will be the end for Tom Brady.
Even if he returns, the team should draft the best available rookie quarterback this year. Of course, Kyle Trask is still on the roster, but he was a second-round pick.
The odds of him exploding in 2022 are not high. Bringing in another rookie for a quarterback competition makes sense. If Trask is ready, he should win it easily. If not, the team can take the safer option.
He could also serve as a bridge quarterback for the rookie. If Trask takes off during his bridge period, the Buccaneers would be thrilled to ride the hot hand.
However, if he doesn't take off, the team could go to Plan B without waiting until 2023. When looking for a quarterback, it is smart to have as many irons in the fire as possible.
Will the Buccaneers take an aggressive approach or will they play the 2022 offseason on defense with the hopes that Brady returns? It could be months before the answer is clear.
