When it comes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offseason, there's one gigantic-ly obvious hole on the roster: the quarterback position.

It's not just because the Buccaneers will have one QB under contract when the 2023 season starts on March 15. It's also due to the fact that the subsequent signal-caller will succeed the best quarterback of all-time in seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

Those are size-20 shoes to fill. The good news is Brady's replacement will have plenty of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. But at the same time, those weapons aren't cheap and heavy investments at receiver, running back, and the offensive line have left the Buccaneers with limited options when it comes to acquiring their next quarterback.

And the Buccaneers have been adamant about reloading as opposed to rebuilding, therefore, they don't want just any QB – they want a guy that can keep them competitive. Especially in a downtrodden NFC South.

"You never want to rebuild – you’re always reloading, no matter if you have new guys or not," Todd Bowles said back in January. "You want guys to come in and play and compete for you to win the division."

Well, there's one guy who is both affordable and effective. And his name is Jacoby Brissett.

Buccaneers fans will remember him as the guy who led the Cleveland Browns to a 23-17 overtime win back in Week 12. Brissett threw for 210-yards and one touchdown and one interception in the win, which isn't that great of a stat line. But, Brissett's touchdown pass -on 4th down- tied the game at 17 and is what sent things into overtime. He also completed both passes for 52-yards on the game-winning drive in overtime; and, the second completion was a 45-yard dime to Amari Cooper on a 3rd and 4 that essentially put the game on ice.

Overall, Brissett had a solid season as the Browns' starting quarterback. His stats didn't blow anyone out of the water, but he proved that he can play at an effective enough level to win games.

Per Pro Football Focus, Brissett graded out as the ninth-best passer among all QBs with at least 166 dropbacks through the first 12 weeks of the season. As it turns out, Brady graded out as the eighth-best passer.

Brady dropped back to pass 131 more times than Brissett. Yet, Brady threw just four more touchdowns (16) than Brissett (12). Brissett's aDOT was higher (9.4 to 7.6) and he averaged more yards per pass attempt than Brady (7.1 to 6.4). He also finished right behind Brady in terms of adjusted completion percentage (74.9% to 75.1%) and big-time throw rate (4.5% to 4.7%). Meaning, Brissett was throwing the ball further down the field than Brady, yet, he was still able to post similar numbers on a much smaller scale.

Brissett also has something that Brady absolutely doesn't: mobility. He finished the year with 243 rushing yards 49 carries, which came out to a very solid 5.0 yards per carry. He added two touchdowns on the ground, as well.

Brissett is also one of the smarter quarterbacks in the NFL. He'll be able to come in and quickly adapt to whatever offensive system the Buccaneers eventually make their own.

Granted, the Browns' rushing attack was a big reason why Brissett didn't have to shoulder a big load in 2022. And there's zero debate the Buccaneers' rushing attack needs a lot of work. But, a lot of the struggles had to do with the scheme and the play-caller – and both of those factors are gone. So, while it's an unknown, it's safe to bet any 2023 product has to be better than what we saw last year.

The seven-year vet cost the Browns just $4.65 million in 2022, which is extremely affordable, especially for the production he accounted for. To put things into perspective, his advanced PFF numbers are similar to that of Derek Carr's, who would cost the Buccaneers over $40 million in base salary if he were traded to the team (without assuming any contract adjustments are made, of course).

The main point is Brissett can come in and start for $6-$7 million and give the Buccaneers a solid option that allows them to keep fielding a competitive roster. As it stands, the Buccaneers are more than $55 million over the cap. Brady's retirement process should alleviate a good chunk of that, but the team will still be tens of millions over the cap, even then.

That's not good considering the Buccaneers have some big decisions to make in bringing back key players like Jamel Dean, Lavonte David, Mike Edwards, Anthony Nelson, and others.

Brissett gives the Buccaneers everything they need when it comes to keeping the team competitive in a realistic sense. And the best part is he doesn't turn 32-years-old until December, either. He could be more than just a one-year option if things work out well in 2023. I'm not talking a Geno Smith-like ascension, but at the same time, you never know.

Featured image via Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK