The Buccaneers lost their veteran backup quarterback to Chicago via free agency. They’ve finally added one.
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Bucs have added veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. The 34-year-old Harvard graduate spent the past two seasons with the Jets, after stops in Tennessee, Buffalo, Cincinnati, and St. Louis.
A 16-game starter in three of his NFL seasons, Fitzpatrick had his best performance in 2015, his first year with the Jets. A contract impasse caused him to miss the offseason program, and possibly contributed to a subpar 2016, with a major reduction in his performance -- and a 5-11 season.
Fitzpatrick becomes the primary backup to Jameis Winston, and possibly a mentor to the third-year player as he tries to become a full-blown franchise quarterback.
