Tom Brady isn't the only quarterback who has chosen to stick around in Tampa.
On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed quarterback Ryan Griffin, who has been with the team since September of 2015. Griffin spent the 2021 season on Tampa Bay's practice squad but had been on the active roster for most of the previous six campaigns.
Griffin originally joined the Buccaneers as a waiver claim in 2015 after he had been waived by the New Orleans Saints in the final roster cutdown before the regular season. He has since re-signed with Tampa Bay four times, having previously done so in 2017, 2019 and 2021. Griffin's return in 2022 gives the Buccaneers three quarterbacks under contract, as he joins Brady and second-year man Kyle Trask.
Though regular-season playing time has been scarce for Griffin he has three years of experience in the team's current offensive system and has performed well on several occasions in the preseason. For instance, he played in eight preseason games with two starts in 2018 and 2019 combined and completed 111 of 167 passes for 1,262 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions, with a passer rating of 99.9. Most recently, Griffin appeared in two preseason games in 2021, connecting on 12 of 22 throws for 92 yards and two interceptions.
During the Buccaneers' 2020 Super Bowl championship season, Griffin served as the teams' third quarterback and was inactive for all 20 games, including the postseason. He saw his first bit of regular-season action late in the 2019 season, as he appeared in two games, though he did not attempt a pass in one of them. Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 14 he completed two of four passes for 18 yards.
Griffin spent the first half of the 2017 season on injured reserve but was otherwise on the Bucs' active roster from 2015-20. He spent most of the 2013 and 2014 seasons on the Saints' practice squad after signing with them as an undrafted free agent out of Tulane.
