Jason Licht: You’re not going to find another Tom…

Getty Images

The Buccaneers were a team ready to win when they signed Tom Brady as a free agent before the 2020 season. Two years later, as they again seek a starting quarterback, they are a team that has won.

“We’ll have to go down every avenue,” Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht said on a conference call Tuesday night. “It’s a little bit different landscape than it was a couple of years ago with the quarterbacks that were available in free agency.

“We’ll have to go down every avenue. We’ll have to turn over every stone. . . . I think our roster is in better position than it was two years ago.”

The question is: Are the Bucs only a quarterback from winning another Super Bowl? Or are they in rebuilding mode?

Licht believes in the roster despite a lengthy list of free agents. He points out that seven of the team’s nine Pro Bowl players are under contract for next season.

Licht calls it a “remodel” rather than a rebuild.

“Well, I guess that remains to be seen,” Licht said of the team’s future. “I have a lot of faith — I know Bruce does as well; I know our entire coaching staff, my staff and the entire building has a lot of faith in the players we have on this team, and we’ll continue to add. I think the experience that they have had in the last couple of years has made this team a lot better.

“There’s no replacing (Brady). You’re not going to find another Tom Brady. But you can find a good player, and you can develop good players. Everyone will step up, and they’ve learned throughout the last couple of years how to do that. I think just the experience they’ve had the last couple of years playing with Tom Brady are lessons that are invaluable. We’re very excited about the future still. We’re excited about the team that we have, and we’ll just continue to march forward.”

The Bucs drafted Kyle Trask in the second round last spring, and he spent the season holding a clipboard.

Free agency offers a familiar list of bridge quarterbacks with the likes of Nick Foles, Tyrod Taylor, Mitchell Trubisky, Trevor Siemian, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, Teddy Bridgewater and Marcus Mariota. Deshaun Watson will be on the trade market, Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be and some big names could be.

“We’ll continue to look for the best available option, whether that’s someone here or someone out there,” Licht said. “This team has grown together. It’s the best locker room I’ve ever been a part of. I think BA (coach Bruce Arians) said the same thing, and a lot of our players share that. That bond is very strong. . . . Whether you hand it over to an inexperienced guy or a veteran, I think the leaders we have on this team will definitely help in furthering that person along, whoever that is.”