Bucs GM Reveals Original Tom Brady Replacement Plan

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers instantly uplifted their franchise by signing Tom Brady in 2020. General manager Jason Licht revealed the team's less exciting contingency plan.

Five years ago, Brady ended a 20-year career with the New England Patriots and joined the Buccaneers. The quarterback won a Super Bowl in his first season with an organization that had gone 12 years without a playoff appearance.

The Buccaneers made another quarterback acquisition Tuesday, signing Teddy Bridgewater out of retirement. Licht told reporters that Tampa Bay considered adding the former No. 32 pick if they didn't land Brady in 2020.

"We had him in here in 2014 before the draft. There might've been a situation where we would've taken him if he had fell a little further," Licht said of Bridgewater. "And a few years ago, he was what was behind door No. 2. So we talked about that today on the sideline. We ended up with Tom Brady, but now we have Teddy on the roster. So you can have everything, just not all at once."

Bridgewater rebounded from a gruesome ACL injury to post a career-high 99.1 quarterback rating in 2019. He won all five of his starts for the New Orleans Saints, amassing 314 passing yards and four touchdowns in a Week 5 win over Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers were ready to move on from Jameis Winston after a 30-interception campaign. They snagged their first choice in Brady, who recorded 14,643 yards and 108 touchdowns in his final three seasons.