Blaine Gabbert Signs 1-Year Contract with Buccaneers After 1 Season with Titans

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Wednesday that they signed quarterback Blaine Gabbert to a one-year contract.

Gabbert, 29, is set to enter his ninth NFL season in 2019. Gabbert spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals before playing for the Tennessee Titans last season.

The Bucs were in need of a backup to starting quarterback Jameis Winston after Ryan Fitzpatrick signed a two-year deal with the Miami Dolphins this offseason.

Tennessee released Gabbert this offseason after acquiring Ryan Tannehill from the Miami Dolphins to compete with Marcus Mariota.

With Mariota nursing multiple injuries, Gabbert appeared in eight games last season and made three starts. He went 2-1 as a starter and completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 626 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.

The Jags selected Gabbert with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft out of Missouri, but he went just 5-22 in 27 starts and was traded to San Francisco in 2014.

In eight NFL seasons, Gabbert is just 13-35 as a starter. He has completed 56.2 percent of his passes for 9,063 yards, 48 touchdowns and 47 interceptions as well.

While Gabbert is clearly not a quality NFL starter, he is an experienced backup who can add some insurance behind Winston.

Also, Gabbert should not struggle to learn Tampa's offense given his experience in the system. In 2017, Gabbert played under Bucs head coach Bruce Arians with the Arizona Cardinals.

While the Bucs are hopeful that Winston can have a big year in 2019 and establish himself as the long-term answer under center, he hasn't appeared in all 16 games in a single season since 2016, so there is a possibility that Gabbert could be pressed into action and make at least one start for the fifth season in a row.