Getty Ryan Griffin talks to a referee in a 2019 game.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Griffin found a new home on Friday, November 10.
Griffin, a member of the Buccaneers roster or practice squad for eight seasons, signed with Italian Football League team Skorpions Vaerese in Vedano Olona, Italy. The team announced the transaction on social media, which FOX Sports’ Greg Auman shared.
Griff news! Former Bucs quarterback Ryan Griffin has signed with Skorpions Varese of the Italian Football League. Happy to see the legend continue.
Skorpions Vaesese plans to have Griffin as its starter and pursue the Italian football championship, according to the team’s website. Griffin already has football’s biggest prize, a Super Bowl ring, from his time with the Buccaneers between 2015 and 2022.
Ryan Griffin Was a Mainstay in the Background With Buccaneers
Griffin served on the practice squad during the team’s Super Bowl run in 2020. He appeared in two regular season games for his entire NFL career and threw four passes for the Buccaneers in 2019.
An undrafted free agent from Tulane, Griffin joined the New Orleans Saints in 2013. He stuck with the Saints through training camp in 2015 before the team released him during the final roster cuts.
Tampa Bay picked up Griffin and he stayed on ever since. Griffin didn’t stay on in 2023 as the Buccaneers overhauled the quarterback room with Tom Brady‘s retirement and Blaine Gabbert‘s departure in free agency.
Only Kyle Trask remained from last year’s quarterback room. The Buccaneers signed Baker Mayfield as the eventual starter, and John Wolford signed on as the third-string quarterback.
Baker Mayfield Calls John Wolford ‘Extremely Vital’
Mayfield has taken all of the snaps this season for the Buccaneers as Trask and Wolford remained on the sidelines. Previously teammates with the Los Angeles Rams, Mayfield expressed his appreciation of Wolford during a November 1 press conference.
“John is extremely vital to our QB room. A guy that when we brought him in, I was very happy about it. Just his knowledge of the system, he has great experience — he doesn’t have the most experience — but the guy, he’s wicked smart,” Mayfield told reporters.
“He is an extremely important piece for us to have. I know he challenges the guys on the scout team and is always an extra communicator for our QB room. Guys like that are invaluable.”
Mayfield and Wolford spent the last part of the 2022 season together in Los Angeles before each of them headed east to Tampa Bay. Similar to Griffin, Wolford has a Super Bowl as a reserve player from his time with the Rams.
Buccaneers Nearly Lost John Wolford
Wolford, who has spent time on the practice squad, nearly left the team this season, but the Buccaneers moved him to the active roster to keep him. Wolford said he ultimately wanted to stay where adds value to the Buccaneers quarterback room, much like Griffin did.
“There’s a few factors that go into it,” Wolford told reporters via the Tampa Bay Times. “The Bucs have been good to me this entire time and you know, going through that whole process, they continued to show their interest in me and showed how much they valued me and it feels like a good fit here.”
“I feel like I’m adding value to help the team and there are potentially long-term plans here. My home is in Miami, my mom is in Tampa, my dad is in Jacksonville,” Wolford said.
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Former Buccaneers Quarterback Finds New Team Overseas