Rich Gannon Talks To Joe
February 19th, 2024
Former NFL MVP Rich Gannon.
So while bouncing around the Super Bowl Media Center in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Joe spoke to three ex-Super Bowl quarterbacks for their takes on pending Bucs free agent quarterback Baker Mayfield.
One was former Raiders signal-caller and NFL MVP Rich Gannon.
These days, Gannon is best known as a reasoned voice heard weekdays on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Joe began the interview with a basic question about Mayfield. In a nutshell, Joe thinks Gannon, who bounced around the league for a while to begin his career before he found a landing spot with Oakland, sees a little of himself in Mayfield.
JoeBucsFan.com: Should the Bucs bring him back?
Rich Gannon: Oh, I think so. Look, Here is a guy that I think has been humbled by the experience. You go back and look what happened to him in Cleveland. He goes to Carolina, that doesn’t work out. Has to go to Los Angeles and finish the season last year. He comes to Tampa and he’s not even guaranteed the starting job. He had to win it in training camp and I think the way he played during the season, I think that some of the games that he had late in the season at Lambeau [Field], winning a division the way they did it — Baker is a tough and gritty guy. He’s a guy that’s hard to tackle. He’s hard to sack and he’s not the biggest quarterback. I think he did some great things. When you have a quarterback, you’ve got a chance. I think we have had 30 coaches who have been fired the past four years. All for part of the same reason: They don’t have a starting quarterback, the exception is Justin Herbert. I think the Bucs have a good one in Baker Mayfield and I think it makes a lot of sense to bring him back.
Now Joe understands what the haters want to see with Mayfield. He may not be elite. He may be inconsistent. He always battles injuries, in part because of the way he plays. But Joe is a big believer in the Raheem Morris theory: “I will tolerate you until I can replace you.”
What is the quarterback alternative? (No, it’s not a guy who averages a completion a season.)
Mayfield had the Bucs on the doorstep of an NFC title game in a season in which few if any believed the Bucs were a playoff team before opending day.
Given the nature of Mayfield’s up-and-down career, Joe would be very comfortable if the Bucs drafted Michael Penix. You know, just in case Mayfield bottoms out.
If Mayfield continues to play well, you have an excellent trade chip. The ransom the Bucs could get from a quarterback-desperate team for Penix in a year or two could be breathtaking (see: Watson, Deshaun).
The Bucs could do a whole lot worse than Mayfield returning. A whole lot worse.
February 19th, 2024 at 5:04 am
Not sure I fully understand the trade chip comparison to Deshaun. Deshaun had been a 3x pro browler and led the league is passing in 2020 before getting trade for a boat load of draft capital.
Drafting a QB in the first round won’t have near that return unless they play well in the NFL which means you probably want to keep them….
February 19th, 2024 at 5:27 am
The hope is that a gm falls in love with said qb and absolutely balls out in the preseason. He sits for a bit and then the gm who fell in love, but was unable to get has the chance to trade for him later down the line. So you have an excellent backup just in case or a trade chip for draft capital down the road. This is all best case scenario type stuff.
Not quite Kevin Costner “Draft Day”, but still most likely… Unlikely.
February 19th, 2024 at 5:56 am
quarter billion buys a lot of massages- penix could only hope for such luck
February 19th, 2024 at 6:11 am
‘Joe would be very comfortable if the Bucs drafted Michael Penix’.
I don’t understand your fascination with Penix Joe. And WHY would the Bucs spend a 1st Rnd pick on ANOTHER QB to sit on the bench if we re-signed Mayfield like you’ve proposed? Here’s what Walter Football says about Penix (who they rate #6 QB) …
‘Penix completed 65 percent of his passes in 2023 for 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He scored three rushing touchdowns as well. For the NFL, Penix has a quality arm capable of making all the throws. He can make some nice passes along the sideline and working the back shoulder of his receivers.’
‘In the back half of the season, Penix showed some accuracy issues, with many easy would-be completions being lost to passes off the mark. Penix needs to improve his accuracy and mechanics, plus his footwork will need development for the pros. However, there was talk that Penix was playing hurt in the back half of 2023, which impacted his accuracy. Sources with NFL teams said that vision is a problem for Penix, who either doesn’t read the coverage or pre-determines his throws and pushes them into coverage regardless of whether his receiver is open. Penix demonstrates some decision-making issues when teams drop seven or eight and rush him with only four or three defenders.’
Maybe in some minds that translates to ‘A sure-fire success in the NFL’ to some, but I don’t see it.
February 19th, 2024 at 6:14 am
Remember when Mahomes took KC down the field for the recent overtime, SB victory? Of course you do.
Now tell me this. Was it unexpected? No!
That’s what every team is looking for in a QB. And yes, they are very hard to find. But you gotta keep trying to find greatness at the position.
I’ll even go as far to say Baker is a gritty, above average QB. But he’s not THR GUY, the guy who thrives on pressure when it’s at its most dynamic.
Baker’s last pass for Cleveland was an interception. Not sure about the Panthers or Rams, but his last pass for us was an interception as well. And both were in pressure situations. Would Mahomes have thrown those passes?
Not saying well luck into amother Mahomes, but I want better than Baker.
Perhaps Joe is right. Keep Baker around and hope luck will find you a better player.
February 19th, 2024 at 6:39 am
Stopped reading at “he came to Tampa and he wasn’t guaranteed a starting job, he had to win it”, everybody knows that’s a lie.
February 19th, 2024 at 6:39 am
It’s hard to argue JA’s point. QBs still win Super Bowls. I like Baker, but the best we do is win another South Title with him… which btw, I’m not hating on another NFC South Title, but I just don’t think he gets us to a Super Bowl. @Defense Rules draft write-up point…yeah, does not instill a ton of confidence in wanting to land him in the first round.
I will say this, at pick 26, buckle up, because whatever need we think we need, I can see Licht going best pick available at that spot. I just don’t see him reaching on a specific position due to need.
February 19th, 2024 at 6:42 am
Raheem got that saying from Scott Brantly who was told that by a Bucs coach. Tha’t’s not a Raheem original. Good philosophy though.
February 19th, 2024 at 7:10 am
I view Baker to be similar in ability to Alex Smith when he was with the Chiefs….hes good enough to position you for consistent playoff visits but never going to take over a game. Smith dealt with similar circumstances to start his career….he had 4 different OCs in 5 years, once he found stability with Reid and the Chiefs he was very effective. I think you stick with mayfield until you stumble across something better in the draft.
February 19th, 2024 at 7:32 am
Penix??? ” He tore his ACL in 2018 and 2020 and had shoulder injuries in both 2019 and 2021.” Yeah…lets mortgage the farm for this guy.
February 19th, 2024 at 7:34 am
Nix the Penix talk, Buc’s have their QB and backup unless they could get him in the second round. First round should be an edge rusher!
February 19th, 2024 at 7:36 am
Draft a guy?
February 19th, 2024 at 7:37 am
Teams win with dominant trenches.
Bucs’ QB situation is fine Their OLine and Edge Rushers are not fine.
There’s only one Patrick Mahomes and Bucs beat his team with dominant trenches.
February 19th, 2024 at 7:55 am
I think Bill Parcells used to say that. Maybe Vince Lombardi. It definitely predates Raheem. He said “youngry” a lot and was a players coach, no?
The Penix idea is terrible.
February 19th, 2024 at 7:55 am
JBF: “Mayfield always battles injuries”
Not according to Liar in Chief Tony Mayfield who claims Baker has been injured only “once” lol.
February 19th, 2024 at 8:39 am
No to Penix.
Too many injuries – 4 out of 5 seasons ended early due to injury.
Unless there is a very good pass rusher available the Bucs need to trade back in round one and add more picks in rounds 2-4.
Safety/RB/IOL/ILB can all be addressed after day one but we need more picks.
February 19th, 2024 at 8:41 am
You don’t pay your qb and then draft one in the first round
February 19th, 2024 at 8:41 am
@ Joe
You should have asked Gannon how it felt to throw 5 interceptions (2 pick 6s) against the Bucs in the Super Bowl…
Poor dude was running for his life all game.
February 19th, 2024 at 8:42 am
They are not drafting Penix in the first round. They are signing Baker to a multi year contract and they have full faith that he is their QB going forward. They are not going to then waist their first round pick for someone they don’t intend on playing. If they draft a QB at all it will be a late round developmental QB.
February 19th, 2024 at 8:42 am
Sounds like Gannon is a Mayfield fan. The rest of this report is faint praise from Joe and the anti Baker crew. Hoping that Baker gets a big deal elsewhere and moves on. It was nonsense in the Detroit game watching him get smothered from an untouched Hutchinson and then having some genius on these pages saying he is bad at reading “the blitz.” Also, laughable that people on these pages have to be told that Mayfield has an elite arm when it is obvious that he does. So here we have a young QB with an elite arm, tremendous competitiveness, and leadership skills that is not good enough according to many on this blog to be Tampa’s QB.
February 19th, 2024 at 9:08 am
@Joe – Not a good comparison Joe. Watson played at a pro bowl level before he was traded. In the scenario you offer, Penix would be a non-first tier bench guy that couldn’t beat out the starter on his team…kind of like Trask. Give me an example of a guy like that that netted anything significant in a trade. And please give me someone more recent than Steve Walsh.
February 19th, 2024 at 9:13 am
Penix had significant injury problems at Indiana before transferring to Washington. I have big concerns about his availability.
Drafting at #26, I think we need to draft a player who will be a starter as a rookie, not sitting on the bench.
February 19th, 2024 at 10:08 am
Michael Penix! Nope. Draft the best available for your need and QB is not one of them, Joe.
February 19th, 2024 at 10:14 am
Bunch of rod munchers….. Do you actually watch football and see how weak the QB play is on so many teams? This season started with no hope for reasonable fans, bottom of the barrel predictions, unknown scheme and here comes Baker to lift everyone up and take it from the proclaimed better teams. Unexpected, delightful run in the playoffs. PLAYOFFs…. Who said anything about making the playoffs? Pull your head out of the sand, shut the F up and enjoy the past season. A lot of players and teams never get there. Pay Baker, give him stability, and he’ll lay it on the line for the Team.
February 19th, 2024 at 11:23 am
Peniux will not be a Buc. Remember, Jason Licht oversees the draft. Bucs have Baker, and Wolford has shown in his career that he can be an effective backup.
Kyle’s Trashk can hold a clipboard and keep the inactive players’ bench warm.
Improve the trenches, LB depth, and for goodness sakes, tell Sloweszo that if he insists on playing that zone bust coverage scheme that only he understands, he is fired.
February 19th, 2024 at 11:41 am
You guys keep saying Penix will sit on the bench. Not if Baker is gone he won’t.
Penix was injured A LOT, but Dean tore 2 ACLs also in College and hasn’t had that issue again. The whole reason Penix would be available at 26 is his injury history.
His accuracy is better than Bakers RIGHT NOW. So is his deep ball. And he would COST about 30 million less dollars.
Ding Ding Ding.
If this team saves 60 million by letting Baker and Mike walk, we have NO IDEA what direction they go. NOBODY can say ANY MOVE is crazy.
Just watch what happens and save your That was Stupid comments for after.
February 19th, 2024 at 12:38 pm
BUCman Says:”They are not going to then waist their first round pick for someone they don’t intend on playing.”
Don’t be so sure they wasted a 2nd rounder on Trask.
February 19th, 2024 at 1:04 pm
I don’t think taht Penix it’s gonna be a trade chip warming the bench for Baker. Trask could be that trade chip and go find someone who pays a 6th round for him. I don’t think that the example of Watson @Joe, fit the bill with rookies or young QB’s… Watson had a ton of production under his back, that’s worthy with youngs and rookies QB’s. Like you always says, hope it’s a dangerous word and that’s the case with Trask and Penix, that’s not value. Agreed. Watson was a three-time Pro Bowler coming off a special season. A QB on the Bucs’ bench would be just that. Maybe he could recoup the low first-round pick with which he was selected. –Joe
February 19th, 2024 at 2:01 pm
Anyone comparing Peniux or any college QB to Baker or any NFL QB who has had playoff success is forgetting that college success is no predictor of NFL success. Is strong together the list of dozens of examples but it’s redundant. Google is your friend.
Michigan kicked Peniux right in the vajayjay and shut him down. Licht’s not drafting that guy unless he’s still available on day 2 or 3.
February 19th, 2024 at 2:17 pm
No thanks on a first round QB. Show us some qb breakdowns by BA and find the diamond in the rough. I’m not against drafting a QB every other year or so but this team needs pass rush and run block interior offensive lineman. We built up our lines last year and I think we go back to that well again this year. Pass rush or o line in round one.
February 19th, 2024 at 2:31 pm
BACKUP QB … Why not Trask?
I’m not a Florida guy, but I remember Trask looking really good in the preseason. I thought he looked better than Mayfield. I’d advocate filling our gaps at OL, DL, MLB, and S before drafting another QB that is going to sit.
February 19th, 2024 at 4:07 pm
Speaking of DeShaun Watson, the $235million guaranteed man, what Super Bowl or playoff run has he ever made? That seems to be a major criteria for bloggers here yet it didn’t stop the Browns from overpaying for a guy who has played a total of 13 games for the Browns in two years. It gets better because in one of the cases that wasn’t settled it may yet go to trial and Gooden has reserved the right depending on the trial outcome to further punish Watson. Baker is going to get the last laugh on the Browns nonsense. If Steelers, unload Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick they will have the cash to sign Baker. Baker with the Steelers will be legitimate competition for KC in AFC. If all this happens, will be checking back weekly with all Trask worshippers to see how much you are enjoying the 2024 season.
February 19th, 2024 at 4:18 pm
Incidentally, I am not talking down Trask who I know next to nothing about. I wish him well in 2024. Very certain that Baker won’t be back.
February 19th, 2024 at 5:18 pm
People said the same thing about CJ Stroud was not going to be a good quarterback. And I got a strange feeling that Penix will be a good quarterback and we will be saying we should have drafted Penix. I’m sure if we could go back instead of drafting Devin White we would have gotten Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson with the 5th pick and let Brady walk after the Superbowl year if we would have known they would be good quarterbacks .
February 19th, 2024 at 6:15 pm
Yeah Oneilbuc and people said Ryan Leaf was a can’t miss, too. CJ Stroud is by far the exception. Bryce Young is very much the norm. Zach Wilson. Mac Jones. Josh Rosen. Mitch Trubisky.
We get it, you hated Brady and hate Mayfield. Did Licht ever respond to your application to provide quarterback selection expertise?
February 19th, 2024 at 6:48 pm
Nevermind. Rich Gannon wouldn’t know anything more about QB play the the Peniuxes around here.
February 19th, 2024 at 6:54 pm
Dave. You guys call everything hate even if it’s facts lol 🤣🤣. Brady was washed up and he prove it once AB and Gronk left . Baker Mayfield is a average quarterback and you can’t accept it. Now I have accept the fact that the bucs is bringing Baker Mayfield back. And I also have accepted that it will be another average season or worse next year. I have also accepted that the bucs will over pay for Baker Mayfield and next year it will be the same lame excuses for Baker Mayfield it will be he’s playing in a new offense, the offensive line ain’t blocking for him , it’s Todd Bowles fault and Baker Mayfield don’t have a running game oh and everyone hates Baker Mayfield. This team ain’t winning a superbowl with a one read quarterback that’s Baker Mayfield main problem. So I’m good regardless because I know we ain’t winning nothing with Baker Mayfield. Think about it you guys are celebrating a 9-8 team and if it wasn’t for Winfield Jr we lose against the Falcons and the Panthers which means we don’t even make the playoffs in a weak division. Baker is on his 4th team in 6 years and had a average year but now I suppose to believe that Baker Mayfield is a franchise quarterback!! Lol 🤣🤣 ok
February 19th, 2024 at 7:49 pm
Imagine him behind the eagles line and those wideouts…
We have an awful line right?
February 19th, 2024 at 8:20 pm
Fact – Rich Gannon is a former NFL MVP who played QB and is now a professional NFL journalist.
We could listen to him, or a guy who didn’t want Tom Brady to play for the Bucs, with whom the Bucs won their second Lombardi Trophy.
Gee.
Who has the credibility on this one?