3 surprise trade destination fits for Baker Mayfield in 2022

Baker Mayfield surprise spot no. 3: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

When Tom Brady retired at the start of the 2022 NFL offseason, how many Buccaneers fans were fearful for the future?

As optimistic as many were about Brady unretiring, which he did, the idea of the Bucs’ reality without Tom Brady settled in at some point or another. That thought crossed everyone’s mind about Kyle Trask as the opening day starter in Tampa Bay.

And that is a scary thought.

Although we’ve seen how it works out for teams to plan for life beyond Tom Brady, the Buccaneers might not want to take the risk of going into next offseason in a similar predicament.

Given the cost of acquiring Mayfield right now in terms of draft capital may not be overly high, this is a move that Jason Licht and Bruce Arians should strongly consider.

Mayfield could learn a lot about being a pro from Tom Brady. He’s young enough that sitting for a year isn’t going to hurt him. If Brady decides to play more football beyond 2022,  the Bucs could simply tag and trade Mayfield to another team, or let him hit free agency and recoup compensatory draft capital later on.

One way or another, this is a move the Bucs should consider because if life after Brady comes in 2023, the alternatives in-house won’t be good. The Bucs won’t be in a position to draft a stud QB. Having Mayfield already in the fold could be a wise investment.