Ranking the Buccaneers quarterback optio
When the selected with the No. 1 overall pick at the 2015 , they were hoping to have secured a quarterback who would lead their franchise for the foreseeable future and to great succe s. As we fast forward five seasons later, Tampa has yet to win the NFC South in the Winston era and it appears like the club is on the doorstep of looking elsewhere.After a frustrating season under center in 2019, the Buccaneers are re-evaluating the position as Winston just put a bow on his rookie contract and is slated to hit unrestricted free agency. Luckily for Tampa, it just so happens to be addre sing the quarterback spot when there is a historically deep free-agent cla s about to enter the market and are in an offseason where quarterback trades are also poised to be prevalent. The fact that Tampa is armed with the third-most cap space in the , already boasts weapons like and on the roster, and plays in a quarterback-friendly Bruce Arians offense, the Bucs will be an Jalen Lecque Jersey attractive destination for a number of signal callers looking for a starting job.As you'll see below, we've collected some of the quarterbacks that will likely be available either through free agency or via trade this offseason and ranked them by who the Buccaneers should bring in. To be clear, these options aren't exactly going to be in order of which quarterbacks are most likely to land in Tampa, but in the order in which the team should value them. Their first free-agent call should go to No. 1 on this list and work their way down. Get it? Good. With that out of the way, let's kick things off with the quarterback Tampa is most familiar with.8. Jameis WinstonIt's certainly po sible that Winston ends back up in Tampa next season, but if we're being honest it feels like both sides have hit their ceiling together. Winston has proven he can lead the league in pa sing (5,109 yards) and throw 33 touchdowns, but it comes at the cost of 30 interceptions. It's just not a winning formula and a change would likely be the most productive option for all parties involved.While this may seem like a bashing of Winston, it's not out of the realm of po sibility that he lands on a new club, resets his career, and eventually lives up to his potential. He was a top overall pick and that talent is still in there somewhere. He just needs to reduce those critical turnovers. Winston could probably use a change of scenery and coach Bruce Arians seems pretty determined to upgrade the position in some way, shape or form. Again, if both sides strike out in free agency, Tampa and Winston could find their way back to one another. With that said, it's certainly not a top option when you're ranking the po sible scenarios for the Bucs going forward. Jae Crowder Jersey 7. It would be a fascinating storyline to see the Bucs let Winston walk in free agency and replace him with the guy they pa sed up on at the 2015 NFL Draft in Marcus Mariota. He's almost the polar opposite of Winston. He won't wow you with a cannon arm, but he keeps his turnovers relatively low, can make plays with his feet and would likely give Arians a lot le s stre s in the proce s.Similar to Winston, a change of scenery could do Mariota a world of good. He was subpar with the before being benched for , who took Tenne see all the way to the AFC Championship Game. If the Bucs were to pair him with weapons like Evans and Godwin in Arians' system, that would present a heck of an opportunity for both sides to try and tap into Mariota's potential. After all, he'll be only 26 years old at the start of next season and isn't far removed from a 2018 season where he Shawn Marion Jersey completed nearly 70% of his pa ses. If he can regain his accuracy, get the ball into the arms of Evans and Godwin and allow them to make plays while not committing turnovers, Mariota could easily thrive in Tampa. 6. Ryan TannehillThe only reason this Titans quarterback isn't higher on the list is because he's probably heading back to Tenne see and I wanted to have the top five of these options be somewhat more realistic and attainable for Tampa. However, if a scenario plays out where the Titans go ahead and sign , that could open the door for the Bucs to swoop in and sign a quarterback who was four quarters away from taking his team to the just a Cheick Diallo Jersey couple months ago. If that's the case, he flies up these rankings.Tannehill was stellar for Tenne see last season after stepping in for Mariota, going 7-3 as a starter though the regular season and completed 70.3% of his throws for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns and just six picks. He led the league in quarterback rating (117.5) and yards per attempt (9.6), so the Bucs would be getting an extremely efficient quarterback that -- unlike Winston -- would keep the turnovers to a minimum. Tannehill likely won't cost as much as some other elite quarterbacks, so the Bucs could, in theory, not only bring him aboard, but put even more talent around him. 5. The are reportedly looking to cut ties with Foles and ride with second-year quarterback just one year after handing Foles a four-year, $88 million contract. Most teams simply would not be able to take on Foles' contract, but the Buccaneers are one of the rare teams that could do it. Heading into this offseason, they currently $84,989,175 in available space, so even bringing a contract like Foles' would not totally deplete their cap going forward into free agency. In 2020, Foles' cap hit is $22.2 million, rises to around $26.9 million in 2021, and hits $27 million in 2022. After next season, however, there is an out in Foles' contract that would gives the Bucs the ability to shave $14.4 million off the books. In this scenario, the Bucs would absorb Foles' contract via trade, still have enough room to add more talent, and, if it doesn't work out, they can get out from under his deal without critical damage to their cap in the long term.Tampa would likely also get him for a song as Jacksonville is simply looking to move off that contact and not have Minshew looking over his shoulder next season. If the Bucs landed the former Super Bowl MVP, they should consider that a win.4. Similar to Foles, Dalton is being ousted by his current team as it makes way for a young quarterback. For Cincinnati, it' Jalen Smith Jersey s all about consensus No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow going forward, but it still needs to find a spot to trade Dalton. The have noted that they won't simply ship Dalton off to the highest bidder and instead give him a say in the proce s. If Dalton was wise, Tampa should be on his radar. Not only would he land with a team that features two dynamic wide receivers and a favorable offseason led by Arians, but Dalton would likely be on a club that can contend for a playoff spot upon arrival, especially if the new collective bargaining agreement is going to open up more postseason slots. Let's be clear, however: Dalton was not good last season. His completion percentage (59.5) ranked 30th in the NFL, he had a yards per attempt of 6.6 that ranked 28