Bucs are still reaching out to Tom Brady, per Antoine Winfield Jr.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback situation isn't exactly ideal at the moment. With Tom Brady retiring this offseason, the Bucs added Baker Mayfield to the mix to compete with Kyle Trask for QB1 duties.

Mayfield was subpar last season with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. Mayfield threw 10 touchdowns to eight interceptions with an ESPN QBR of 24.5, which ranked No. 31 among quarterbacks.

And Trask, a second-round pick in 2021, has attempted just nine passes in his career.

 
While Mayfield or Trask could surprise the masses and put Tampa back in first place in the NFC South, it sounds like they're still touching base with the greatest quarterback of all time.

 
Per Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr., the Buccaneers have been in contact with Tom Brady.  

“I’m sure we’re still reaching out to him trying to see if he’s trying to come back to the team,” Winfield recently said, per Pro Football Talk. “Hey, it could happen. Anything’s possible.”

Although Brady regressed somewhat last season, the 45-year-old QB still put up solid numbers, throwing for 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Brady's QBR of 52.5, which was the lowest of his career, was still more than double Mayfield's output in 2022.

 
Brady retired after the 2021 season as well, only to unretire and play last season. And now speculation continues to run rampant that he will follow the same script this year.

"It's up in the air, man," Winfield said.

Winfield's comments come despite Brady continuing to say he's done for good this time.

"I'm certain I'm not playing again," Brady told Sports Illustrated in June. "I've tried to make that clear and I hate to continue to profess that, 'cause I've already told people that lots of times."

Tampa finished the 2022 season at 8-9 with a 31-14 playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round, it was a disappointing end to their season and to Brady's career. While there's a strong case to be made that Brady and the Buccaneers parting ways is for the best, it's hard not to wonder how their 2023 season would go with Brady back in the fold. For now, it seems like a longshot, but Winfield's speculation will heat up the chatter about a potential TB12 return.