According to an announcement from Pat McAfee on his very own show, Bucs veteran backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert is signing with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Gabbert will be the backup quarterback to Patrick Mahomes.

Bucs QB Blaine Gabbert – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Gabbert has been with the Bucs since 2019 when he signed with Tampa Bay to rejoin former head coach Bruce Arians when Arians came out of retirement. Gabbert would miss the entirety of that first season in Tampa Bay after suffering a shoulder injury in the preseason that would lead to him being placed on injured reserve.

Over the next three seasons Gabbert would serve as the primary backup to Tom Brady after Brady joined the team. While he did not see much action Gabbert did end his Bucs tenure completing 22 of 35 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

Bucs QB Competition Moves On

Gabbert was credited often for helping Brady accelerate his learning curve of the Arians offense over the course of the 2020 offseason. And while he played fairly well in his limited playing time and was able to hold off former second round pick Kyle Trask for the primary backup role over the past two seasons, the Bucs turned to a new offensive philosophy after letting go of Byron Leftwich as offensive coordinator and replacing him with Dave Canales. 

That new philosophy looks to be one that does not include Gabbert. This does bode well for Trask, who who will be in competition with Baker Mayfield to be the Bucs’ next starting quarterback.

Gabbert also made headlines last year for a heroic act he made off the field during the season. As he was jet skiing with his brothers around Davis Island, Gabbert pulled up to a family that was just in a helicopter crash that landed in the Bay. He and his brothers each picked up all four people on board (three family members and the pilot) on their jet skis and calmed them down until authorities arrived. Gabbert was given a medal in a press conference at the Bucs facility for his efforts.

A former first round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011, over the course of his 12-year career Gabbert has thrown for 9,302 yards and 51 touchdowns with 47 interceptions. Gabbert is expected to retain his most current role as a backup with Kansas City.