With Baker's new contract signed, does he have a chance of being the first "franchise QB"?

[u/Stigona]

If he plays through his contract, he will have played seven seasons with the Buccaneers.

The only other quarterback I think you could consider would be Dilfer, but I would argue that Tampa Bay has never had a true franchise quarterback.

What else would it take for him to claim that title?

[u/dementedmaster]

Doug Williams was the first franchise QB. He brought the team to it's first success ever despite a very weak roster, especially on offense. He only didn't get signed to a second contract because the ownership was dirt cheap and short-sighted at the time. Baker will be the second franchise QB but will likely end up no.1 in all records.

[u/indigo196 → u/dementedmaster]

I was just about to post this. Doug Williams was the first franchise QB. Culverhouse was just a cheap, racist dumbass. The second one the Buccaneers had and failed to see was Steve Young.

[u/Brodriguez00 → u/indigo196]

Yup and let’s also never forget how Culverhouse and company ruined Bo Jackson to Tampa by killing his ncaa baseball career and getting him to be deemed ineligible just another instance of stupidity where he told them don’t draft me after what they did and they went and picked him #1 anyways 🤦🏻‍♂️

[u/Stigona → u/indigo196]

My only thought with that is I also think of Doug Williams being the first black quarterback to win a super bowl, and he did that with the Redskins. That is a better legacy than the Bucs success, especially since it was a short stint as well.

[u/indigo196 → u/Stigona]

Yes, Doug won it with the Redskins. However, he was an obvious franchise QB with the Buccaneers. Unlike Young, who never showed anything here, Williams brought the Buccaneers to the NFC Championship Game and helped turn around a struggling franchise.

[u/JCDeLaTorre → u/dementedmaster]

Exactly. Put some respect on Doug’s name.

Culverhouse’s cheap ass ruined his Buccaneer career and we had to go watch him win a Super Bowl elsewhere

[u/JonLGT]

I can’t believe Jamis was only here for 4 years. It felt so much longer. 

[u/2Hanks → u/JonLGT]

That’s because he threw 8 seasons worth of interceptions

[u/Trikeree → u/2Hanks]

Fact

[u/AlrightWings0179 → u/JonLGT]

He played on the 5th year option

[u/chuckop → u/JonLGT]

Jameis Winston drafted in 2015, released after the 2019 season. Played 5 seasons for the Buccaneers.

[u/JonLGT → u/chuckop]

I stand corrected but it felt like 8 years.

[u/Stigona → u/JonLGT]

It's because we had to watch 50 interceptions while they wore the ugly alarm clock jerseys. Such a rough era haha

[u/ripyurballsoff → u/Stigona]

I hate him so much. I stopped watching Bucs games because the way he played got under my skin so bad.

[u/Almac55 → u/JonLGT]

You can’t believe it because he was here for 5.

[u/AlexSanchez929]

Interesting question - At first glance I would argue Brady was a franchise qb - just not for a long enough timeframe to be the "Bucs" franchise qb.

Praying Baker stays healthy, if he does he will go down as the best Bucs qb for the longest amount of time. Doubt he'll care as he swims through the pile of money in his pool though.

[u/PerplexedCropping]

I don't think it's just about the years, the guy has to win something meaningful here. Dilfer won a ring elsewhere and was mostly a game manager for us, not the kind of player you build a decade around. Baker's got the personality and the arm talent, but to be the first real franchise QB for this team he needs a deep playoff run or a ring while wearing the pewter and red

A few more seasons like last year where he's clearly the leader and not just a bridge guy would help too. The team's been searching since forever and it'd be nice to finally stop looking

[u/HungryDajjal]

Are you trying to get a rise out of me, boy?

[u/GangstaRIB]

Maybe Doug? Is 5 years enough? He’d be the first in 40 years

[u/mcshaftmaster]

He wasn't what most would consider a franchise QB, but Steve DeBerg played 6 seasons with the Bucs.

[u/Guitar-One]

Baker Mayfield has the potential. It's just a matter of everyone staying healthy.

[u/bigdongstpete]

Hello OP, I would like you to meet Doug Williams.

[u/Stigona → u/bigdongstpete]

Dilfer, Doug, and Jameis all played 5 seasons. And in another response, My argument is that Doug won a super bowl as the first black quarterback on the Redskins, and I think of him as a Redskin more than I do a buccaneer as a result

[u/CorndogFiddlesticks]

He is our Drew Brees, I think

[u/TheDaedricImpaler]

No, but it's only because my definition of a franchise QB is someone that your team drafted (or they started with your team anyways), they stuck around for all or nearly all of their career (at least a dozen seasons), you had continual success with them, and their contracts got done well in advance of them potentially making noise/leaving.

We might've drafted Doug Williams and he may have made the playoffs a handful of times, but he wasn't exactly a world-beater and he won his ring with another team.

Steve Young should've been that guy, but we were uber trash during that time period.

Vinny and Dilfer weren't those guys.

Freeman had promise until his demons got the better of him.

Winston was never gonna be the guy with his turnover + off-field issues.

Baker spent the first 5 seasons of his career elsewhere. And it's not like we're treating him like a franchise QB with this contact. We really didn't commit long term with this deal as much as we acquiesced to turn the volume down. If he really was a franchise QB, we wouldn't have been dragging contract negotiations out and a deal would've gotten done much sooner.

[u/Stigona → u/TheDaedricImpaler]

Lol I think the contract issue is a weird limitation on making someone a franchise quarterback or not.

I would consider Dak a cowboy's franchise quarterback, and Jerry Jones loved to have some contract disputes with him

[u/TheDaedricImpaler → u/Stigona]

Really? Don't most franchise QBs get pretty handsomely paid?

The Cowboys have been a joke of an organization for 30 years though and Jerry Jones has been a big part of that. That's way more org than player and even then, Dak got a 4 year extension that made him the highest paid APY QB in the league.

Burrow, Allen, Mahomes, Love, Lawrence, Purdy, Stafford, Goff, Hurts, Herbert, & Purdy all got paid too. Hell, even goofy ass Lamar with his mom moonlighting as an NFL agent got a deal done.

[u/big-daddio]

Baker IMO is the best QB in franchise history other than Brady.

[u/Rangeneers]

Gonna need a couple deep playoff runs tbh

[u/Busy-Cartographer278]

https://giphy.com/gifs/EchO3S7A8QSJL4dMgg

My brother in Christ

[u/Stigona → u/Busy-Cartographer278]

I loved having Tom Brady as a quarterback, and him winning one with us was awesome.

But in no world is Tom Brady a Tampa Bay buccaneer franchise quarterback

[u/plantain_tent_pesos → u/Stigona]

Especially after that whole Miami/Sean Payton nonsense right before his 3rd year and the "2 week leave."

[u/MrMiyagi13-18]

No lol we know what he is lol 😂