Buccaneers Signing Old Man Drew Stanton As Older Man Tom Brady's Backup

Tom Brady is 43 years old, and he's the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That much you already knew.

What you may not know is that the Buccaneers are signing veteran Drew Stanton to serve as Brady's backup with two weeks left in the regular season, per Peter Shrager of NFL Media.

Stanton, 36, is fairly old by pro athlete standards, but he's still a lot younger than Brady. For instance, when Brady was a freshman in college (1996), Stanton was in the sixth grade. Mostly, though, the Buccaneers like Stanton because he provides insurance at the most meaningful part of the season.

And for the Buccaneers (9-5), this is about as meaningful as it gets. They currently sit in sixth in the NFC, just a game behind the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints. They have two games to go. Win one, and the Buccaneers are guaranteed at least a playoff spot. Win both and get a little help, and they could still claim the division.

Stanton is already familiar with Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians. The two were together with the Arizona Cardinals a few years back. Still, it's safe to say the Buccaneers are hoping Stanton doesn't have to play. He may be younger than Brady, but if Stanton has to take snaps, it probably means something else has gone wrong.