Buccaneers Tabbed as Team Who Should Tank for Superstar Quarterback
Tanking in the NFL elicits many different opinions. It is somewhat of a taboo in the league as it can be frowned upon by other teams, but many teams have or will tank to try and land a player in the NFL draft that could change the outlook of an organization's future.
It is hard to come by generational players, and even more difficult to come across a generation quarterback. However, scouts, the media, front offices, and fans alike all seem to agree that there is one of these "generational" quarterbacks to be had in the 2024 NFL draft - University of Southern California's Caleb Williams.
In fact, according to ESPN's Matt Miller, Caleb Williams is so highly touted that he is being viewed and compared to the NFL's newest, brightest quarterback Patrick Mahomes by GMs around the league.
"[Caleb] Williams is Patrick Mahomes," an anonymous NFL general manager told ESPN's Matt Miller, "but we didn't know Mahomes was him yet [when he was drafted in 2017]."
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At this point, it is far from a guarantee that Williams will pan out and develop into the type of quarterback that Mahomes has, but Williams has done everything to warrant the hype including winning the Heisman Trophy last season while throwing for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns while adding 382 yards rushing and 10 scores.
If Williams is indeed the consensus overall number-one pick in 2024, there could be a handful of teams that should consider tanking for the coveted QB. According to Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be amongst those who should entertain the idea of tanking in 2023 to land Williams in the 2024 NFL draft along with the likes of the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, and the Washington Commanders.
Sobleski initially points to the quarterbacks the Buccaneers currently have on their roster. The play of either Trask or Mayfield will ultimately determine what the Buccaneers will do throughout the season, so if things do turn ugly the organization could look into tanking.
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Kirby Lee, USA Today
"This year's Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be defined by whether the season becomes Baker Mayfield's redemption arc or his last ride.
Granted, the team currently has an ongoing competition between the 2018 first overall draft pick and third-year veteran Kyle Trask, whom the Bucs selected with the 64th overall pick from the '21 class.
Considering Mayfield's background and pedigree, he is the favorite to win the job.
"I feel comfortable with where I'm at right now," Mayfield told reporters last month. "Now, it's about making sure that my comfortability resonates with everyone else. That is the quarterback's job, is to make sure everybody gets on the same page and make sure we breathe that confidence throughout the whole team. I feel good with where I am at right now, but there is obviously always room to improve."
Mayfield says he feels "revitalized" after last year's stint with the Los Angeles Rams.
However, the Buccaneers organization can't overlook the fact he's with his fourth squad in a little over a year. The Cleveland Browns chose to move on from a player who helped get them to the playoffs for the first time in 18 years, to not making it through an entire season with the Carolina Panthers, to becoming a mid-season spot starter for the Rams.
Tampa Bay currently has lottery tickets posing as quarterbacks. An actual draft investment is a far more rational approach to addressing the position than hoping Mayfield will recapture his earlier magic (or Trask outperforms his draft status)."
The question mark ultimately comes down to the performance of either Trask or Mayfield. If one is able to succeed and win games in Tampa Bay there will no longer be questions regarding what the Bucs will do to finish the season and into the offseason.
If either falters, which seems to be the consensus around the league at the moment, then the Buccaneers front office could find themselves with a difficult decision to make. Either way, Jason Licht and co. have proven that they know how to make decisions and will stick with that decision until it is proven not to work. The Buccaneers seem to be doing just fine with what they have currently, but once games start being played will opinions start to sway towards tanking for Caleb Williams? We shall see.
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.
