The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may consider a trade down in the NFL draft this year, as head coach Lovie Smith has said that there are strong options in the first round and if that happens, the team could consider a deal for Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler or Kirk Cousins at quarterback with the Bears, Saints, Redskins or Chargers over taking someone like Marcus Mariota or Brett Hundley.
The consensus from draft experts, media members and people in the NFL has been that the Buccaneers will take Jameis Winston at number one, as they are in desperate need of a QB. The team has Mike Glennon after releasing Josh McCown, but he is not looked at as the long term starter and could be traded bait. According to Pro Football Talk, Smith spoke about the number one pick this week on the NFL Network and said that while people "assume we're gonna take a quarterback", the coach hinted that the team could trade down.
Trading down could enable the team to take another QB and it also could give them a package of draft picks. Many teams have looked at the Titans with the number two pick as a target for trading up, but now some teams could look at number one as an option. ESPN Bucs beat reporter Pat Yasinskas writes that the talk right now in Tampa signals Winston will be the pick, as the team was not totally sold on Marcus Mariota's laid back persona.
While all this may be some misdirection or a way to find out what trades are out there, Smith could look at making the deal if he thinks another quarterback could be successful in his offense. The Buccaneers have needs all over the place and they could trade the number one pick and the chance to draft Winston to a team for another QB, or for a package of picks. Getting a strong haul like the Rams did from the Redskins in 2012 could be a model, although the Rams have not made the playoffs yet since making that deal.
Cutler was previously mentioned as a potential option for the Buccaneers when his trade was being rumored about, as he had some success with Smith when he was the head coach in Chicago. The Bears have said that the team is not shopping Cutler and that he would be the starter this year, but if the number one pick is on the table, the team could reconsider. The team reportedly could consider taking Mariota high and they could look at making a move up.
The same goes for the Chargers, as Rivers is coming into the final year of his deal and they could make a move. The Saints have also made trades this offseason and while Drew Brees likely will not be moved, there is a chance he could be an option. The Jets reportedly are also going to look into Brees and Rivers and this comes as they have had interest in Mariota as well.
The Chargers and the Bears have both been mentioned as potential options to trade up to draft Marcus Mariota and if the Buccaneers consider trading the pick, the teams could be interested. The Bears have the number seven pick and Peter King at the MMQB reported that they could look at Mariota as an option if he slips there. The Chargers have also come up, as the Union Times San Diego reports that there is real talk about the Chargers being "serious about moving up" for Mariota in the draft.