The Tampa Bay Buccaneers start a new era in franchise history after Tom Brady finally announced his retirement from the NFL. As a consequence, head coach Todd Bowles will lead a massive rebuilding process.
Right now, Baker Mayfield has been officially named the starting quarterback and he has to be the short term answer considering the NFC South will be a lot tougher than last year.
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Derek Carr will lead the Saints, Bryce Young was the No.1 overall pick for the Panthers and the Falcons are intriguing with Desmond Ridder. However, a massive injury could derail the Buccaneers’ hopes.
Ryan Jensen will miss the entire 2023 season with the Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers confirmed Ryan Jensen will be out for the entire season. The Pro Bowl center hasn’t been able to recover from the knee problems which appeared last year at training camp.
As a consequence, Jensen was already placed on the season-ending injured reserve list and, in terrible news, this development could represent the end of his NFL career.
“It breaks my heart. There’s nothing more that I wanna do than be a part of this team. This organization has changed my life. Unfortunately, my knee wasn’t progressing in an upward, positive way. I fought my butt off. I put more work in this offseason than probably my entire career. It just wasn’t responding how it needed to respond for me to go out there and play at a high level.”
Ryan Jensen is 32-years old and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. In 2018, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him and was a key factor for Tom Brady to win Super Bowl LV. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021.
Last year, the knee injuries were brutal. Anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, meniscus and fractured tibial head and cartilage.
That’s why Jensen missed the the entire 2022 regular season but, when he was asked to undergo surgery, the center said no. In fact, Ryan decided to come back and play in the Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys. It was Brady’s final game.
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Though retirement is a big possibility, Ryan Jensen will not give up. “I’m gonna fight and do whatever I’ve gotta do to get this knee healthy. Right now, it’s just time and doing what we need to do to get it feeling better.”
