Getty The Buccaneers are releasing QB John Wolford.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are moving on from a Super Bowl champion QB — for the time being.
As noted by Fox Sports’ Greg Auman, the Buccaneers are cutting quarterback John Wolford. The move was made among the “final cuts” to trim the roster down to 53 players before Tuesday’s deadline.
“So Bucs are done. They’re already down to 53, well ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline,” wrote Auman on Tuesday, August 27. “Final cuts to get there: QB John Wolford, WR Ryan Miller, WR Cody Thompson, OL Luke Haggard, C Avery Jones, LB Vi Jones, LB Antonio Grier.”
Buccaneers Also Released John Wolford Last Year Before Re-Signing Him
The situation is similar to last year when Wolford lost out on the No. 2 job battle to Kyle Trask and was released during final roster cuts. However, he cleared waivers and was re-signed to the practice squad. Assuming that ends up being the case again, don’t be surprised if Wolford is re-signed by Tampa Bay once he clears waivers.
As noted by Dustin Lewis of Sports Illustrated, the NFLPA vetoed a new rule that would’ve allowed a third quarterback to be elevated from the practice squad to the roster without counting towards the 53-man roster.
“The move came in the wake of the NFLPA vetoing a new rule that would’ve allowed teams to elevate a quarterback from the practice squad in an emergency role an unlimited amount of times,” writes Lewis. “Instead, the third signal-caller has to be on the 53-man roster or can be part of one of two standard elevatations from the practice squad per week. Players can only be activated three times per season.”
John Wolford Previously Won Super Bowl as Backup QB With Rams
The 28-year-old Wolford is best known for his tenure with the Los Angeles Rams, where he spent three seasons as a backup quarterback. Wolford obviously won a Super Bowl as the primary backup to Matthew Stafford during the 2021 season, but he also saw some notable playing time during his time with Los Angeles.
The former undrafted free agent started four regular season games and played seven total games with the Rams, going 2-2 while throwing one touchdown against five interceptions for 626 passing yards and a 58.7% completion rate. He also started a playoff game that the Rams ended up winning, 30-20, over the Seattle Seahawks during the 2020 season. However, he was injured in the first quarter of the game after going 3-for-6 for 29 yards.
Wolford finished the 2024 preseason going 19-for-32 for 183 passing yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. The numbers paled in comparison to Trask, who went 41-for-63 for 393 passing yards with three touchdowns, one interception, a 65.1% completion rate and a 91.6 passer rating during the preseason. Furthermore, Trask played the entire preseason finale — outside of the first drive led by Baker Mayfield — during the Buccaneers’ 24-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
It’s worth noting that Wolford has familiarity with offensive coordinator Liam Coen, having spent time with Coen when he was an assistant quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with the Rams.
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