Buccaneers' Tom Brady ranked sixth-best QB for 2022 NFL season

Insiders and other observers clearly can't agree on what they believe Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will and won't be during the 2022 NFL season, which may be the 45-year-old's last as an active player.

Few can argue that Brady produced a 2021 campaign worthy of MVP votes. The seven-time Super Bowl champion finished the regular season leading the entire league with 485 completions for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns, and such numbers helped him recently earn the No. 1 spot for NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2022 feature. 

However, ESPN ranked Brady 20th overall as it pertains to rating "players based on how good they will be in the 2022 season compared with their peers" for a piece published Monday morning. On Tuesday, Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski raised eyebrows when he ranked Brady sixth among signal-callers entering the upcoming season. 

"Last year's starting guards—Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa—retired and left in free agency, respectively," Sobleski explained about that decision. "General manager Jason Licht acquired Shaq Mason from the New England Patriots to replace Cappa. Otherwise, left guard and center are major concerns.

"Aaron Stinnie suffered a torn ACL and MCL last week, which places second-round rookie Luke Goedeke in the spotlight. Ryan Jensen was arguably the best center in the game, but the Pro Bowl center suffered a season-ending knee injury at the onset of training camp. To make matters worse, backup pivot Robert Hainsey is now dealing with an ankle injury."

Brady wasn't known as the speediest of quarterbacks while in his 30s, and it cannot be ignored that he retired for roughly six weeks this past winter and recently completed an 11-day "vacation" away from the Buccaneers during the heart of their preseason. His dedication to the cause has been questioned even before anybody has seen him take snaps in meaningful games behind a shaky offensive line. 

For what it's worth, Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes tops Sobleski's list. Mahomes is followed by Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, and Green Bay Packers starter and reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers.