Who will be the Bucs starting quarterback in 2022?

With Tom Brady reportedly calling it a career, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the epitome of uncertainty at the quarterback position in 2022.

Tom Brady is reportedly hanging up the spikes after 22 unforgettable NFL seasons.

Brady spent 20 years with the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowls. Two years ago, he relocated to the Florida Gulf Coast to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning Lombardi Trophy No. 7 in his first year with the team. With Brady in his mid-40s, he calls it a career as the undisputed greatest quarterback to ever walk the face of the earth. He will never be replaced.

Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, they are playing next season and have no long-term future at quarterback. Who will be the Buccaneers’ Week 1 starter in the 2022 NFL season?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Who will be the starting quarterback in 2022?

With Brady retiring, there is only one quarterback that will for sure be on the roster next season: Second-year pro Kyle Trask. Though the former Florida standout does offer some promise, he was a second-round pick for a reason. Assuming Bruce Arians returns for a fourth year, he may look to bring back Blaine Gabbert in a backup role, but again, there is nothing good to eat in the cupboard.

With the Buccaneers picking No. 27 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, they are probably going to need to trade up to get a potential franchise quarterback. They would be reaching for whoever they would end up taking, whether that is Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Ole Miss’ Matt Corral or North Carolina’s Sam Howell. While they would not be reaching on Liberty’s Malik Willis, that is hard to get behind.

Should the Buccaneers venture into the wonderful world of free agency, they are looking at the likes of Marcus Mariota, Teddy Bridgewater, Mitchell Trubisky and Tyrod Taylor. Mariota is the one worth giving big money to, but the Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback will be the biggest name hitting free agency this winter. The Buccaneers could have him, but will have to pay a premium.

And then there is orchestrating a blockbuster trade route. Superstar quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers or Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks could be the biggest names moving this offseason. With Derek Carr on the last year of his Las Vegas Raiders contract, that may be the best value play of any potential high-quality starting quarterback on the move.

Ultimately, there is no easy solution for the Buccaneers. Starting Trask or Gabbert means they are not a playoff team. Trading up for Corral, Pickett or Howell probably means the same thing. Selecting Willis does not move the needle. Signing Mariota could work or it could be Jameis Winston all over again. And trading for Carr, Rodgers or Wilson, oh, that is going to be complicated.

In short, Trask is the only Buccaneers quarterback under contract now, so it would have to be him.