Before CJ Carr even begins his second season as the starting quarterback for the Notre Dame football team, more than a few analysts peg him as a first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft. Should the gunslinger decide to go pro after this season, there are any number of teams that are said to be kicking the tires on him. One of those teams, it appears, is the Tampa Bay Bucs, who do indeed need a “quarterback of the future” to step in when current QB1 Baker Mayfield is ready to move on.
Part of the issue, for Carr and the rest, is that if he joins the group, the 2027 QB draft class could be incredibly deep. Much deeper than the 2026 class was. With the Irish quarterback expected to go pro, some analysts believe a group of Dante Moore (Oregon), Arch Manning (Texas), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State), Carr, Sam Leavitt (LSU), Darian Mensah (Miami), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), and LaNoris Sellers (South Carolina), are poised to set a new record for quarterbacks selected in the first round.
“With the future of starting quarterback Baker Mayfield up in the air in the final year of his 3-year, $100 million contract, and with a possible quarterback class for the ages coming up in the 2027 NFL draft, there is a lot of work to do,” Tony Adame of The Heavy wrote.
Adame goes on to explain that the Notre Dame quarterback could be one of the players that the Bucs look hard at. The idea makes some sense, especially since Carr’s game is similar to Mayfield’s in that he’s got a strong, accurate arm and can run, though doesn’t rely on his legs to get yards or first downs.
CJ Carr could be Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback option in 2027 NFL Draft
Fox Sports reporter Greg Auman is among those who believe that the Bucs have to be “on the clock” to take a first-round quarterback.
“Baker Mayfield is a free agent after this season, but it’s still likely the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will give him a lucrative extension after three solid seasons taking over for Tom Brady,” Auman wrote. “If they don’t, there’s no heir apparent on the current roster, so they’d be on this list, though they’ve had good luck in the last two veterans they’ve found in free agency. They’ve drafted only one quarterback (Kyle Trask) in the last decade.”
To Notre Dame backers and NFL onlookers, Carr could be the perfect option as an “heir apparent.” Entering 2026 as a redshirt sophomore, he’s young and talented, but it might not hurt to have a year in the NFL where he sits and watches and learns.
The Notre Dame quarterback would still have to decide to leave, and Tampa would still need to decide that its biggest first-round need is a quarterback who won’t start until at least 2028. A lot needs to go right for this particular team-up, but CJ Carr beginning his NFL career in sunny Florida certainly doesn’t sound out of the question.
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