The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will no longer have Tom Brady on their roster and are way over the cap, so how should they go about the 2023 offseason? This will be an interesting transition period for Tampa Bay.
Over the last three years, they made the playoffs three times and won a Super Bowl. They’ve got a decent roster overall but have some serious questions to work through. After Tom Brady’s retirement, where will they get their next quarterback?
Also, how to they plan to get under the 2023 cap number, and do they have strong enough desires to re-sign some of their veteran free agents? This offseason could be a giant mess for the Bucs, so here are a few things they must avoid in 2023.
Offseason mistakes the Buccaneers must avoid in 2023
Failing to bring in a new face at QB
I’m not talking about just signing some random veteran bridge type of player. What I think Tampa Bay must do is bring in a new and potentially legitimate face at the position, but I don’t necessarily think it should be a veteran like a Derek Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo.
They hold the 19th overall pick and might have a chance to take a QB if they are able to work the draft board. I do think it’s time for them to bring in a rookie, perhaps someone like Anthony Richardson.
Or, if they have a high grade on someone else who won’t go in the top 10, then that’s who they should target, but they need a fresh face in the room.
Trying to make it work
What I mean by this is similar to what the New Orleans Saints did last offseason. The Saints were quite a bit over the cap but were able to get under after a series of moves and even addressed some of their roster in free agency.
They tried to re-tool after Sean Payton left and being another year removed of Drew Brees retiring, but it’s clear that it didn’t work. The Saints are now in a similar place they were last offseason and should embrace the rebuild.
Trying to re-sign some of the core guys
A big reason why the Buccaneers sustained some of the success they did the last three years aside from Tom Brady was because they were able to bring back some of their core guys from year to year and also did well in recent drafts.
Well, their current projected free agent list is quite big, and seeing as they are tens of millions against the cap, they should avoid trying to bring some of them back, and to go back to my last point, to not try to make it work.
This is a transition period for them. It’s time to turn the page, say goodbye to some of the core free agents they have and embrace the change.