Are Buccaneers Pulling A Jimmy G. On Tom Brady With Pick Of QB Kyle Trask?
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- At this point in his career, the very last person that needs a kick in the butt would seemingly be Tom Brady. The Buccaneers are giving him one anyway.
Well, at least it seems that way, after the Buccaneers drafted quarterback Kyle Trask out of Florida with the 64th overall pick of this year's draft.
Welcome to Tampa Bay, @ktrask9! #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/v130nt8F5L
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) May 1, 2021
The Buccaneers are obviously being prudent, drafting a potential quarterback of the future. Their current quarterback is approaching his 44th birthday, after all.
Still, one can't help but be reminded of another team that tried to draft Brady's successor in the second round, only to kick-start arguably the best four-year stretch of the entire Hall of Fame career of the then-Patriots quarterback.
That time, it was obviously Jimmy Garoppolo, whom the Patriots selected with the 62nd overall pick in 2014.
It's frankly rather ridiculous that it's been seven years since this happened the first time, when Bill Belichick famously mentioned Tom's "age and contract situation." Brady is now currently sitting as the reigning Super Bowl MVP, coming off a 40-touchdown season and looking to run it back in Tampa.
To say he's outlasted any and all expectations on his career would be a slight understatement. He probably should have wrapped things up four years ago. Instead, he's fresh off signing a contract extension.
And it's equally preposterous to even suggest -- seriously, jokingly, or somewhere in between -- that the Trask selection was made to try to squeeze even more inspiration out of the eternally motivated Brady.
Nevertheless, that's precisely what the Twitter world did on Friday night.
Bucs just got themselves 10 more years of Tom Brady. https://t.co/8t6lowKsbH pic.twitter.com/1Y26KwOsSb
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) May 1, 2021
Bucs draft Kyle Trask.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) May 1, 2021
Tom Brady: pic.twitter.com/wAMHsWiyId
Live look at the Brady residence https://t.co/b4EhZZ5UB6 pic.twitter.com/HbSZyisIYH
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) May 1, 2021
can't wait for tom brady to freeze out kyle trask and play for 37 more seasons out of spite
— Nora Princiotti (@NoraPrinciotti) May 1, 2021
Tom Brady is never going to shake Kyle Trask's hand. pic.twitter.com/jXyPVuHz03
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) May 1, 2021
QB Kyle Trask to the #Buccaneers, who will trade him to another team in three years as they prepare to sign 46-year-old Tom Brady to another extension.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 1, 2021
The Bucs take QB Kyle Trask out of Florida to succeed Tom Brady in 2029.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 1, 2021
Tom Brady's heir apparent:
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) May 1, 2021
2014: Jimmy Garoppolo, Pick No. 62
2021: Kyle Trask, Pick No. 64
2028: Peyton Manning Jr., Pick No. 66 https://t.co/nDCIQVddiH
This next one isn't really about the succession plan or any motivation, but nevertheless warrants a spot in any and all compilation of tweets about the two quarterbacks.
Kyle Trask was 2 years old when Tom Brady was drafted. Brady legitimately won his first Super Bowl before his backup knew how to pee in a toilet.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) May 1, 2021
There we go.
And then there's this:
Kyle Trask Selected 64th Overall by @Buccaneers
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) May 1, 2021
Last time Tom Brady's team drafted a QB with a 1st or 2nd round pick was in 2014 (Jimmy Garoppolo)
Brady won the Super Bowl in 2014, 2016 & 2018 & won his 3rd NFL MVP in 2017#NFLDraft2021
So, realistically, Brady will actually stop playing football. Probably. The Bucs likely won't win two more Super Bowls with Brady. (Right? RIGHT?!?!?!) And a selection like this one is likely much more in line with a look ahead as far as 2023, as the Bucs will likely have to face the reality of a post-Tom Brady world in a couple of years. The 2020 Patriots showed that it can be a struggle if you're caught unprepared for that scenario.
But, well, things get silly during draft weekend, and so football folks couldn't help but crack wise at this situation. While Brady may go a little extra hard on the resistance bands when he wakes up to read the news tomorrow morning, this is not really comparable to that history-altering selection of Garoppolo in 2014. Nevertheless, it carries juuuuust enough similarities for all of us to bust out the amateur comedy routines. We're definitely all joking. Mostly.