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Although Tom Brady seems determined to play in the NFL as long as possible, at some point there will be a post-Brady world in Tampa.
It could take two years, three years or even longer than that before another defender is called up to be the Buccaneers’ starter. However, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht mentioned a name they are already very familiar with as Brady’s possible successor in Tampa when that time comes.
Via Taylor Jenkins of PewterReport.com, Licht said Blaine Gabbert could be the guy they would turn to, as he impressed them during his last two years in Tampa.
“First of all, I love his energy,” said Licht. “I really got close to Blaine this year just because I was out. He’s a very smart guy, but he’s a guy, my scouts and I talked about it a lot, he’s just a guy that I love to shoot every day in training because he has a cannon. He is also very accurate with his pitches and can actually whistle them through tight windows. If he had been forced to play, he played in the Detroit game, but if he had been forced to play more I think he would have really opened many people’s eyes on how talented he is, especially for being on the same system for A few years.”
After signing with Tampa in 2019, Gabbert lost his entire first season with the team due to a shoulder dislocation suffered during the preseason. Gabbert appeared in four games this season for Tampa. He completed 9 of 16 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns on limited opportunities for relief in place of Brady.
Gabbert made 48 games in total for four different teams during his 10-year career in the NFL. He hasn’t been a regular starter since starting 13 games in two seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015-16.
Considering that all Brady does is continue to perform and win, he may still be approaching 50. So the question of who will eventually take his place in Tampa is unlikely to need to be answered for a while.