Recently, the Buccaneers became the first defending champ since 1993 to bring back all 22 starters for the following season. The front office is also making an effort to retain their backups. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports (via Twitter) that Tampa Bay is re-signing backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert. It’s a one-year deal worth $2.5MM for the veteran.
While the Buccaneers re-signed third-stringer Ryan Griffin and drafted Kyle Trask in the second round, the organization has made it clear that they intended to re-sign Gabbert. Bruce Arians explicitly said that he wanted to keep the veteran around, while GM Jason Licht went as far to insinuate that Gabbert could be an eventual successor to Tom Brady.
Gabbert has spent the past two seasons in Tampa, throwing for 143 yards and two scores (all in 2020). The former first-rounder hasn’t been a full-time starter since back in 2012, and he’s started only 21 games since the 2015 season. Still, Gabbert has familiarity with the system (he played for Arians in Arizona) and his teammates, so he’s a natural fit to back up Brady for at least another season.
With teams rarely carrying four active-roster quarterbacks, Gabbert re-signing would point Griffin to either the practice squad or another team, while Trask would settle into a developmental third-stringer role.
How dare they draft a developmental QB and re-sign a backup QB! If I were Brady I wouldn’t put up with that crap. He should immediately demand a trade or pick up his ball and go home for such disrespectful, mean spirited and downright treasonous moves.
What is Jerry Kraus thinking down in Tampa?
Geez, if this couldn’t be more off…
This was a mocking of Aaron Rodgers my friend.
I know. Just saying that is seems silly to suggest that Brady didn’t have the same gripe as Rodgers. Brady was successful. Rodgers has not been, yet. It’s strange to excuse the behavior from one and not the other. At least the Pats had the excuse that their resources were strained. They tried out first rounders on a running back and a receiver. The Packers didn’t.
Wasn’t TB angry about them drafting Jimmy G? And didn’t he support his trade to the 9’ers? It was Bill that was against the trade if I remember correctly.
I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic, or if you are completely whiffing on what the OP is mocking…?
Brady leaving the Pats, after twenty years and all of the awesome memories he made for Patriot fans, selflessly I might add as he repeatedly restructured his contract and made much less than he could and should have just so the team was able to afford to pay its other players fairly and affordably sign new players (which, by the way, didn’t always include them signing many new weapons to help him out, like Aaron is supposedly always temper tantrumming about,) and not until the end of a contract, after fulfilling his commitment, and not ever suggesting that he wanted to be let out, or would hold out, of a contract so that he could go somewhere else because his feelings were hurt and he deserved to be treated better by the team’s management, are two completely dissimilar scenarios.
Disclaimer: I am a lifelong Dolphins fan (no comments necessary. Thanks. We know. ) I have spent the better part of the past two decades reviling Brady and the Pats. I can’t believe it’s come to this where I am actually having to come to his defense because of asinine comparisons of Brady to Rodgers. ♂️
Selflessly? The guy’s not a hero. He did what he to win rings. Unlike Rodgers, Brady had the advantage of being to trust his front office. The Packers would rather draft for depth and the future than win now with their HoF QB because it wasn’t’t their idea.
Brady finally did end up where Rodgers is now. He left. It wasn’t because of Garappolo solely, it was because he had an idea what he thought the Patriots should do versus what they were able to do. Rodgers is in the same boat. The difference is, the Patriots had the valid excuse of having to replace valuable players on the defensive side of the ball, or plan for future replacements, and were in a latent cap bubble that they had to manage. They still at least tried to add two high end starters at receiver and at running back in the draft (N’Keal Harry and Sony Michel). The Pats tried, it didn’t work out. The Packers haven’t tried. That’s the actual difference. Rodgers has a huge cap hit for a team that hasn’t shown that it will try to win-freeing up space for an incompetent GM is not really worth that much, especially a GM that seemingly doesn’t want you around.
Brady could trust his organization. He won six championships due to that trust. When he lost faith, he left. In that way, Rodgers and Brady are exactly the same-Brady just gets better press because of the rings.
Gabbert sounds like a possible place holder if or when Brady leaves until possibly Trask is ready or if he ever is. Sounds like a great idea and you would have to be a fool or Aaron Rodgers to believe all this wasn’t done with Brady’s blessing.
You mixed that up man. Let me clean it up: draft a backup QB and resign a developmental QB.
Blaine only needs a few more years behind Brady and he’ll be ready to take over by the time he’s 34 or 35.