Buccaneers GM addresses possibly drafting a quarterback

Despite signing quarterback Baker Mayfield to a three-year contract last month, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht teased on Thursday that he could spend a draft pick on a rookie signal-caller.

"We look at all of the quarterbacks," Licht said, as shared by the team's website. "We spend a lot of time looking at the quarterbacks. I would never say that we wouldn't take a quarterback because you could take one and be glad that you did at some point." 

It's been suggested that Licht could take a flier during the upcoming draft on a so-called project such as Washington's Michael Penix Jr. or Oregon's Bo Nix. Depending on when the top-rated players at the position go off the board, both Penix and Nix could either become first-round picks or slip into the second round.

Tom Brady was atop Tampa Bay's depth chart when Licht used a 2021 second-round draft choice to get quarterback Kyle Trask. Trask has only attempted 10 regular-season passes and is slated to compete with journeyman John Wolford for the club's QB2 job this summer. 

"Now, we like our room right now, but we will take a look at all of them, or we already have," Licht added about quarterback prospects in the draft. "It's a little bit top-heavy this year, but there is always that instance if we like somebody, and like I said if we think he's better than the other positions on the board that we would consider."

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt mentioned Thursday that the New York Jets could target South Carolina Gamecocks signal-caller Spencer Rattler during the third round of this year's draft. Licht could be interested in getting Rattler at that point of the player-selection process, considering the Buccaneers can escape Mayfield's contract as soon as next offseason. 

"...There are so many factors that go into it — the city that they go to, the coaching staff, the players around them, just what is going on with that player's life at the time," Licht said about giving a drafted QB the best chance to thrive. "Do they play right away, or do they sit? There are so many factors that go into whether a quarterback succeeds."

Obviously, any first-year quarterback who ends up with Tampa Bay will sit for the foreseeable future unless disaster strikes.