Report: Buccaneers, QB Blaine Gabbert Agree to New Contract
If Tom Brady were to be sidelined with an injury during the 2021 season, odds are Tampa Bay's second-round pick Kyle Trask will remain on the sidelines.
The Buccaneers agreed to terms with two-year backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Gabbert will earn $2 million over the season, a pay raise from his $1.18 million salary a year ago, with incentives that could increase the value to $2.5 million according to Greg Auman of The Athletic.
Gabbert, 31, returns to Tampa Bay for a third season after serving as the primary backup to Brady in 2020 and Jameis Winston in 2019. Last season, Gabbert appeared in four games but only played meaningful snaps against the Detroit Lions, where the nine-year veteran completed 9-of-15 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns after Brady was pulled from the game at halftime. The Buccaneers defeated the Lions, 47-7.
Gabbert also spent one season with Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians with the Arizona Cardinals in 2017. A former first-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011, Gabbert has completed 56.2 percent of his career passes for 9,602 yards, 50 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.
The Buccaneers had shown a strong interest in re-signing Gabbert throughout the 2021 offseason, even after selecting Trask in last week's NFL Draft. Tampa Bay views Trask as a potential heir to Brady at the quarterback position and will let Gabbert compete with Ryan Griffin as the No. 2 signal-caller for the upcoming season.
Griffin re-signed with the team on a one-year deal this offseason worth $1.15 million, so judging the situation based on financial terms alone, it would appear that Griffin may be the odd man out of the quarterback room.
