CBS Sports: Buccaneers Potential Landing Spot for Jimmy Garoppolo
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With Tom Brady announcing that he is officially retiring on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a problem at quarterback on their hands. Currently, University of Florida product, Kyle Trask, is the only quarterback on the Bucs' active roster; Blaine Gabbert is set to become a free agent once March begins.
The Buccaneers starting quarterback job may be open at the moment, but the question will be who will take the mantle? According to Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports, the Bucs are one of the top landing spots for pending free agent quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo.
"This would be poetic, wouldn't it? Garoppolo was drafted by the New England Patriots back in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft to be the successor to Tom Brady. With Brady now officially retired from the NFL, it'd be a weird twist of fate to see Garoppolo ultimately fulfill that destiny, but for the Buccaneers. Really, an addition of Garoppolo for Tampa Bay comes down to which way the franchise feels like going. Does it feel like it is a capable quarterback away from continued success in the NFC South? If so, then Garoppolo could be an ideal target. If the Bucs are looking to rip things down to the studs and rebuild the organization from the ground-up post-Brady, they may want to look elsewhere and that may be a situation that Garoppolo wouldn't want to sign up for.
"If they stand pat, jumping into a situation that features Mike Evans and Chris Godwin wouldn't be a bad landing spot for Garoppolo. That's particularly true when you consider the pass-catching weapons that he'd be playing with and slotting himself into what was the worst division in football last year. If things stay the same in that regard in 2023, he could have an easier road to the postseason."
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Jimmy G is set to become a free agent at the beginning of March, and it seems as if the San Francisco 49ers are completely okay with letting him walk this off-season. The 49ers made a ton of moves to move up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select quarterback, Trey Lance, with the third overall pick. Lance was thought of to become the 49ers' franchise quarterback before suffering a season-ending ankle injury this year.
Once Lance went down, Garoppolo slotted into the starting role for San Francisco before going down with an injury himself. Once Garoppolo went down, 2022 NFL Draft's "Mr. Irrelevant", Brock Purdy, took the reins and went undefeated in all of his starts before being knocked out of the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
On Wednesday, during a team press conference, 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan reiterated that they are completely comfortable moving forward with Lance and Purdy heading into next season.
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Jimmy G will likely be 100% heading to a new franchise this off-season and the Buccaneers should give Garoppolo a look. The Buccaneers will have a ton of moves to make this off-season when it comes to deciding who they want to bring back and who they will let walk in free agency. Still, for the most part, they should be able to retain much of their roster that has helped them win back-to-back NFC South divisional championships.
The pairing of Garoppolo and the Buccaneers makes sense from both viewpoints. If the Bucs want to remain a contender and believe they are just a quarterback away, Garoppolo would provide them with a veteran presence under center. If the Bucs decide they want to start fresh, it may be best for them to look elsewhere and start aiming for a rebuild that could hopefully net them the #1 quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams from the University of Southern California.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 offseason.
