The Tampa Bay Bucs need to fill the void at quarterback after Tom Brady retired at the end of the season, but they could pull off a trade to acquire Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, or Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans.
The Bucs could stick with Kyle Trask, who was Brady’s backup last season as a rookie. If the Bucs want a top-notch quarterback, then they’ll have to work out a trade with the Seahawks or Texans to acquire their signal callers.
Wilson and the Seahawks went 7-10 in 2021 and missed the playoffs. He has grown increasingly frustrated with the front office and the offensive philosophy of head coach Pete Carroll.
A disgruntled Watson requested a trade last January, but the Texans did not cave into the demands of their unhappy quarterback. Watson also has over 22 pending lawsuits regarding sexual misconduct with former massage therapists, so anyone who acquires him will also have to deal with that PR hit.
Russell Wilson to Tampa?
After winning the Super Bowl last decade, the miserly Seahawks failed to spent enough money to keep their top young players, who bolted in free agency for bigger paychecks. The Seahawks also failed to lure high-priced talent to play with Wilson because they were not bidding for elite players.
Last year at this time, Wilson’s agent leaked a report that his client would waive his no-trade clause to play for a handful of team. That short list included the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, or Dallas Cowboys.
The front office in Seattle said they had no desire to trade Wilson. When the press hounded Wilson about the floated story, he stated he had no desire to leave Seattle.
Wilson fractured his finger in the middle of the season, which required surgery. He rushed back into the lineup and struggled, but a lot of other more selfish quarterbacks would’ve sat out the rest of the season and forced a trade in the offseason. Wilson is old school in that regard and wanted to get back to the field as quickly as possible.
Wilson still likes the Saints, but the Seahawks would rather trade him to an AFC team and not the Bucs. A couple of AFC teams love him including the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Las Vegas Raiders.
James Palmer from the NFL Network reported that the Tampa Bay Bucs did a lot of homework on Wilson. The Bucs need someone to replace Brady. Wilson is seven years older than Watson, but doesn’t have the same baggage, which makes him more desirable in a trade with the Bucs.
Who have the #bucs been doing their homework on at the QB spot? What do they hope happens and which route will they most likely not go to fill the void left by Tom Brady? My report on NFL NOW on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/GmjwQ9bCAS
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) February 17, 2022
Air Tampa: Watson to Bucs?
Eight teams have the cap space to sign Watson, with two other teams close to clearing out the necessary space. The Bucs would love to acquire Watson in a trade, but they’d have to work some cap magic. Watson will make $35 million next season, so teams must have enough draft capital to appease the Texans, and have the space to pay Watson’s salary.
The Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, LA Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets have enough cap space to acquire Watson in a trade. The Chargers, Bengals, and Jaguars are out of the race because they already have young quarterbacks on their roster.
The Jets were interested last season, but the Texans did not return their phone calls. Instead, the Jets selected Zach Wilson in the 2021 NFL Draft. The jury is still out on Wilson, so there’s an outside chance the Jets could re-enter the Watson sweepstakes.
The Dolphins were close to landing Watson before the trade deadline, but negotiations fell apart when the Texans wanted more than the Dolphins could offer them. At the time, the price tag was three first-round picks and a pair of second rounders.
The Broncos are sweating Aaron Rodgers hard. They hired Green Bay’s offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and promoted him to head coach. The Packers in turn convinced Tom Clements to come out of retirement to join them as their QB coach, because Rodgers loved Clements when they worked together in the 2010s.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders are close to clearing enough cap space to acquire Watson. Both teams need a quarterback, especially the Steelers after Ben Roethlisberger retired. Jimmy G is linked to the Commanders, but both the Steelers would love to have Wilson or Watson under center.
