Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) signals a play against the Kansas City Chiefs. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Bucs lauded twice for free agent quarterback acquisitions

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Darius Hayes | Last updated May 27, 2025 6:30 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had great luck and success recently when it comes to acquiring quarterbacks over the last 10 years.

While the NFL is typically a hard place for veteran quarterbacks who change teams, the Buccaneers went from Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady to current starter Baker Mayfield, who has been pretty good with the team since his arrival.

According to CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin, both Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield rank among the top 10 veteran quarterback acquisitions of the past decade.

Brady ranked No. 1 on this list after his successful stint in Tampa, which included a Super Bowl win in 2020. His second season was just as impressive — he led the NFL with 43 touchdown passes and guided the team to another playoff run.

“It’s not every day you get a crack at the most accomplished quarterback of all time,” Benjamin wrote of Tom Brady, who joined the Bucs in 2020 after 20 seasons with the New England Patriots. “But the Bucs lured the longtime New England great to Florida in 2020, and Brady answered the call.”

While Brady was a historic acquisition, Baker Mayfield’s arrival in 2023 was a story of redemption. After bouncing between the Browns, Panthers, and Rams, Mayfield signed a one-year, prove-it deal with Tampa Bay, expected by many to simply be a placeholder. That didn't happen, though, and Mayfield came in at five on the list.

“Replacing Tom Brady figured to be an impossible task,” Benjamin wrote. “And when Tampa Bay signed Mayfield... they were adding a maligned former No. 1 pick who’d just bounced between three teams in the last two seasons. The ever-scrappy Mayfield proceeded to throw 69 scores in his first two years with the Bucs, reviving his image with consecutive playoff bids.”

Between Brady's championship pedigree and Mayfield's revival story, the Buccaneers have proven twice in the last five years that smart veteran quarterback acquisitions can change a franchise's trajectory.