The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are signing a former first-round pick to back up Tom Brady.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Blaine Gabbert is headed back to Tampa on a one-year deal, per a source informed of the pact.
Gabbert spent last year with the Bucs but went on injured reserve early in the season after suffering a dislocated non-throwing shoulder injury in the team's third preseason game. Ryan Griffin, who remains on the roster, served as Jameis Winston's backup last season.
Gabbert, the former No. 10 overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Jaguars, started his first two seasons before quickly washing out of Jacksonville after three years. He spent three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. Then he made a trip to Arizona for a year, where he started five games in 2017 under then-Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, now the man in charge of the Bucs. Gabbert last started a game in 2018 with the Tennessee Titans.
For his career, Gabbert has made 48 starts with a 56.2 passer rating, 48 TDs, 47 INTs and a 6.1 yards per attempt average.
The 30-year-old's value to Tampa this season comes in his experience in Arians' system. Given the limits to offseason workouts and team gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gabbert's knowledge of the scheme and Arians' quirks could prove a big boon to Brady, as the soon-to-be 43-year-old learns a completely new offense for the first time in two decades.
