Bucs GM prepared to explore 'every avenue' to find Brady's successor

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht acknowledged that the team could struggle to replace the retiring Tom Brady considering the lack of options in free agency and the draft.

"It's a little bit of a different landscape than it was a couple of years ago with the quarterbacks that were available in free agency," Licht told ESPN's Jenna Laine. "We'll have to go down every avenue. We'll have to turn over every stone. I hate to use cliches like that, but we will."

The Buccaneers explored a robust market in 2020 when Brady, Philip Rivers, Teddy Bridgewater, and Jameis Winston were among the notable free agents. The draft that year also featured four first-round signal-callers, plus Jalen Hurts, who went in the second round.

Bridgewater and Winston are on track to headline the 2022 crop of free-agent quarterbacks, while the draft is widely considered weak at that position. The trade market may also wind up with few options outside of Jimmy Garoppolo.

"It seems easy to fans to feel like we can go ahead and offer a trade to bring a great quarterback in here, but the teams you're talking to are then going to be looking for a quarterback," Licht said.

The Buccaneers used a second-round pick on Kyle Trask in 2021. The Florida product could take over in 2022 if the Buccaneers fail to net an established starter.

"We're not crowning Kyle as the heir apparent yet, but we feel very fortunate that we got him when we did last year because where he stacks up with quarterbacks in this year's draft," Licht said. "Everybody's going to have their own opinion, but I feel pretty good about where he stacks up with these quarterbacks. So, I feel like we made a good decision last year."

Brady spent two seasons in Tampa Bay, delivering a title in Super Bowl LV before ending his storied career.