The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could look at the NFL trade market for a quarterback this offseason over selecting Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston in the draft, as Sam Bradford and Kirk Cousins could be potential targets for Lovie Smith and this comes as Josh McCown was released and that could mean Mike Glennon will get a chance for another year.
According to MMQB.com writer Andrew Brandt, the Buccaneers have decided to release Josh McCown this offseason. The team signed him for two years and $10 million last offseason and now he is out after one year and $4.75 million. The Bucs hoped that McCown could be a bridge quarterback for the team as Lovie Smith took over, but that turned out to be a bad move, as he had a tough season along with the Buccaneers.
McCown had a strong season with the Bears before signing with the Bucs and now he could be a target for teams on the free agent market. The Browns, Texans, Titans and Jets are all looking for quarterbacks and he could be a potential target. The Buccaneers also may now look at the free agent market over trades or the draft depending on how they evaluate the top two prospects.
Bradford is a wild card in the NFL offseason, as Phil Sheridan writes at ESPN.com that he could "change the market" depending on what the Rams do with him. Bradford is coming into the offseason after missing all of last year with another knee injury and since he is in the final year of his deal, the media has speculated that he could be released or traded by the Rams. NFL.com reports that teams at the top of the draft could be interested in trading for Nick Foles or Bradford over taking one of the quarterbacks high.
Mariota and Winston have been identified by most scouts as the best players in this draft, but not everyone is sold on them as franchise quarterbacks. That type of indecision could be huge for a team like the Eagles, as NJ.com is reporting that the team is plotting to move up to take Mariota. Chip Kelly coached Mariota at Oregon and with the way Kelly runs his offense, he likes to have a specific type of quarterback and Tony Kornheiser said on PTI that Mariota was "perfect" for Kelly's system.
The Buccaneers finished the season as the worst team in the league with a 2-14 record and they clinched the top pick with a loss to the Saints in Week 17. The team had the same record as the Titans, but they had the advantage in strength of schedule for the season. Both teams are expected to look at quarterbacks this offseason and they could be targets to take Winston or Mariota, while the trade options are also on the table.