Are the Buccaneers doomed in 2023? NFL insider places post-Tom Brady Tampa Bay near bottom in power rankings

Modified May 09, 2023 15:44 GMT

Tampa Bay adding Baker Mayfield (l) to replace Tom Brady (r) doesn — Buccaneers adding Baker Mayfield (l) to replace Tom Brady (r) doesn't help them in the power rankings

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a rough ending to their 2022 season, losing in the Wild Card round to the Dallas Cowboys. This offseason did them no favors as future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady decided to retire for good. Tampa Bay signed former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield to possibly replace Brady.

However, it might not be enough as the 2023 season could be a rough one per NBC Sports NFL analyst Peter King. King released his rankings for the upcoming season and it doesn't look good for the Buccaneers. He has them 31st in his ranking:

"Well, the Super Bowl was still worth it."

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In the 2020 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their second Super Bowl in franchise history as Tom Brady won his seventh. The following season saw Brady lead the team to a 13-4 record in the regular season but came up short versus the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional round.

Last season saw the Buccaneers with an 8-9 record and limping into the Wild Card round versus the Dallas Cowboys at home. Their season ended as the Cowboys won 31-14.

Is there a QB competition for the Buccaneers starting job?

Prior to signing Mayfield, Tampa Bay had 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask on the quarterback depth chart. It seems that Mayfield is not a lock to be the team's Week One starter as there's a competition between him and Trask.

Former Tampa Bay head coach and current senior football consultant Bruce Arians was asked about the competition and how it helps both signal-callers:

"There's no doubt. It's a huge opportunity for him [Baker Mayfield], it's a huge opportunity for Kyle. We're going to get the best out of both of them, you know?"

Baker Mayfield has the clear advantage, starting 69 games over the course of his five seasons in the league. He started 59 games for the Cleveland Browns before being traded to the Carolina Panthers ahead of last season.

Mayfield was later released by Carolina after six starts before being signed by the Rams late last season.

Trask didn't take a single snap in his rookie season in 2021 but saw minimal action last season, playing in one game. We'll see which quarterback will replace Brady as the Buccaneers' starter in 2023.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Sports Illustrated and H/T Sportskeeda.