NFL Trade Rumors: Buccaneers eye Tom Brady replacement in $156 million Quarterback

Quarterback Tom Brady retired from the game of football in early February, leaving the Bucs with big shoes to fill at the quarterback position.

While Brady has flirted with the idea of coming back a few times this off season, the next step for the Bucs heading into the 2022-2023 season is to find out who will replace him. Of course, the best-case scenario for the Bucs would be for Brady to return.

According to CBS insider Jason La Canfora, several members within the Buccaneers organization want to “aggressively pursue” a blockbuster trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. General managers in the NFL think the Bucs will be a factor in the race for Watson.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson was cleared of criminal charges Friday which could facilitate a trade soon

Cincinnati Bengals v Houston Texans

Yesterday, it was reported that Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges amid allegations of sexual misconduct, but the quarterback is still facing 22 civil suits.

Despite no criminal charges, the NFL still has the power to suspend Watson if they choose to do so, like they did in the past with Ben Roethlisberger and Ezekiel Elliott.

This is big news going forward for Watson and his situation. Last off-season, multiple teams were interested in trading for him, but it was reported that he would only waive his no-trade clause for the Miami Dolphins at the time.

Miami ultimately decided not to gamble on Watson since his ongoing legal matters were never clarified.

Before yesterday's news emerged that Watson wouldn't be facing any criminal charges, he was gaining interest from many teams in the league.

The Washington Commanders were one of those teams who were interested but decided not to wait any longer and they traded for Carson Wentz, as Watson's case remained unclear.

The Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Bucs, and Pittsburgh Steelers are several teams that could potentially be interested in making an offer to the Texans for Watson.

Watson missed all of last season as he was on the trade block and as the Texans voluntarily decided to sit him every week. Watson is a three-time pro-bowler and led the league in passing yards in 2020 with 4,593 yards.