Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert believes he caught the Lombardi Trophy from a future Hall of Famer at the victory boat parade last winter.
Bucs star wide receiver Mike Evans tossed the trophy Gabbert from one boat to another, which never made the waves that Tom Brady’s famed toss to tight end Cameron Brate did. Gabbert Tweeted “13 to 11 … #hands” in reaction to the video that drew viral numbers.
Gabbert called Evans and fellow star receivers Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown being potential future Hall of Famers after Tuesday’s practice at training camp. The 11th-year quarterback hopes the younger receivers take notice. Tampa has six receivers on the roster who have two years of NFL experience or less — Tyler Johnson, Jaelon Darden, Cyril Grayson, Josh Pearson, Travis, Jonsen, and T.J. Simmons.
“They’re all doing a great job — the biggest thing we’ve tried to relay to the young guys is — you could potentially have three Hall of Famers that you’re watching in Chris, Mike, and A.B. — and that’s unheard of, that has never happened before on an NFL team,” Gabbert said in the press conference.
Evans became the first receiver in NFL history to amass at least 1,000 receiving yards in his first seven seasons. He hit that milestone in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons amid a 1,006-yard, 13-touchdown campaign in 2020.
Mike Evans is the 1st player in NFL history with 1,000+ receiving yards in each of his first 7 seasons
Most Consecutive Seasons w/ 1,000+ Rec Yds
To Begin Career, NFL History
TB Mike Evans – 7
HOF Randy Moss – 6
CIN A.J. Green – 5
NO Michael Thomas – 4
Brown became one of the best receivers in the game during the 2010s where he earned first team All-Pro honors four times and made seven Pro Bowls. He led the league in receiving yards and catches twice each, and he led in touchdown receptions once.
Godwin looked poised to become a highly-prized free agent before the Bucs franchise-tagged him in the offseason. He already has a Pro Bowl appearance, and second team All-Pro honors to his name in four seasons.
“So just watching those guys run, how they learn, how they are in meetings, how they handle themselves individually, get ready for practice, how they work after the catch — they set great examples — nothing really needs to be said. Because like I alluded to, there are potentially three Hall of Fame guys in that group, which speaks for itself.”
Two Rings for Gabbert
Gabbert managed to get two rings during the offseason — a Super Bowl ring and a wedding ring.
“It was a whirlwind — it was a pretty quick offseason — the season went late thankfully, that was awesome,” Gabbert said on Tuesday. And then got married and before you know it training camp was here. Got a couple rings this offseason which was great — I know my wife surely enjoyed it.”
Gabbert Enjoying Being Back With the Bucs
Gabbert re-signed with the Bucs in May on a one-year contract for up to $2.5 million. It came a week after the team drafted quarterback Kyle Trask in the second round.
“It’s been a lot of fun — my third training camp here, having you guys back, having the fans back, it’s been a lot of fun,” Gabbert said on Tuesday. “We’ve returned nearly everybody on the football team so you can see the continuity building — we’re still making mistakes, but we’re learning every day, and we’re kind of picking up where we left off last year which was great because it took us a while to click last season. But if we kind of get a jump start on where we were, I think the sky is the limit.”
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Lombardi Trophy Catcher Sends Message to Bucs Receivers