Lovie Smith is well aware the chances of a rookie quarterback exceling as a starter there first year in the NFL is slim. He is also very aware of how rare it is for a quarterback drafted in the first round to be a guaranteed success story. The past couple of years prove that theory correct as everyone outside of Andrew Luck has struggled to find success for their respective teams. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the chance to lock up the No. 1 draft pick in 2015 if they lose on Sunday, but Smith does not expect to take a quarterback with that.
One of the biggest issues for the Buccaneers this season has been the quarterback position. When Smith took over as head coach, he brought along free agent Josh McCown who had a very successful season with the Chicago Bears as a backup. However, McCown has yet to look like the real deal for Tampa Bay. The quarterback is coming off one of his worst performances this season, throwing for just 147 yards one interception. Mike Glennon has not looked much better, leading the Buccaneers to be frontrunners for a top quarterback this offseason, but how do they get it?
A Smith-coached team has never taken a quarterback in the first round of the draft and they likely will not start now. The biggest move Smith has ever made for a quarterback was trading two first round picks for Jay Cutler. However, is this the year that trend changes for the head coach? The Buccaneers have strong receivers in Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson along with quality tight ends. All they really need is a quarterback. Is Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston a safer pick than say a trade for Cutler? Smith will not even touch the topic right now with one game left to play.
"That can't even come into the equation," Smith said, via ESPN.com. "[In Sunday's loss to Green Bay], even though we didn't play as well, the guys fought right up until the end -- they weren't thinking about that pick or anything like that. This week we're going to do the same thing. We're going to make decisions that will give us the best chance to win by being able to look at players that we haven't seen, that may come into the equation a little bit, but we're going to do everything that we possibly can to try and win the game and let everything else take care of itself."
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport believes that Smith and the Buccaneers could look to the direction of Cuter, but only at the right price. Most expect the Buccaneers to draft Mariota if given the first pick this year, but if the price for Cutler is affordable, Tampa Bay could become a frontrunner for the Bears quarterback.
