Buccaneers: What Ryan Griffin’s extension means going forward

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have invested in backup quarterback Ryan Griffin for another year. What does this mean moving forward?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers extended quarterback Ryan Griffin Wednesday for one year, meaning they will have him through the 2018 season. For a player that they’ve kept on the active roster the past two seasons despite never being active on game day, the Bucs apparently want to ensure they won’t lose him to another team.

But what does this all mean?

Well, to me, it simply means that Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s days are numbered despite his $3.675 million dollar deal the Bucs signed him to this off-season. Fitzpatrick has been underwhelming during training camp and preseason – and that’s putting it kindly. For all accounts, Griffin had outperformed Fitz and it hasn’t been close. Losing Griffin in the first preseason game didn’t help matters in the backup quarterback competition, essentially ensuring Fitzpatrick was guaranteed the job.

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That may no longer be the case.

Given the extension, the Buccaneers can now put him on the 53-man roster and immediately send him to the injured reserve with a designation to return after week six. By then, when he returns, the Bucs can cut ties with Fitzpatrick and use that roster spot for someone else. Whether it would be to get someone in due to injury or bring up a practice squad guy, the Bucs wouldn’t need to carry three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster like they have the past two seasons.

Whether Fitz has been outright playing poorly or appears to be playing poorly because he’s being too cautious to not get hurt, it doesn’t really matter. Griffin up to the point of injury has looked better, has a better grasp of the offense, and was well on his way to earning his roster spot. A one year extension simply verifies the Bucs view him as an important part of the team that they won’t risk losing.

Next: Koetter Assesses Team After Three Preseason Games

It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out, but all signs point to Fitzpatrick being on his way out the minute Ryan Griffin is healthy enough to suit up.