Every Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting QB ever: full list
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the NFL in 1976 and since their inception, have had a wide variety of quarterbacks. Some of these quarterbacks have been Hall of Fame-caliber talents while others have been largely forgettable.
Let's take a trip through each decade and revisit every quarterback who started a game for the Bucs during that decade. I'll list the player, how long they spent with the Buccaneers, how many games they started each decade, and how many playoff games they started.
Let the fun begin!
Every Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback in franchise history
Buccaneers starting quarterbacks from 1970 to 1979
Name (Time spent with TB) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bucs) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bucs) |
|---|---|---|
Steve Spurrier (1976) | 12 (12) | 0 (0) |
Parnell Dickinson (1976) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Terry Hanratty (1976) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Randy Hedberg (1977) | 4 (4) | 0 (0) |
Gary Huff (1977-1978) | 6 (6) | 0 (0) |
Jeb Blount (1977) | 4 (4) | 0 (0) |
Doug Williams (1978-1982) | 26 (67) | 2 (4) |
Mike Boryla (1978) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Mike Rae (1978-1979) | 5 (5) | 0 (0) |
In the Bucs' first four seasons, they had nine different quarterbacks start games for them with the most notable and successful name being Doug Williams. The Bucs spent the 17th overall pick on Williams in the 1978 NFL Draft and he led them to the playoffs three times in his career. Williams was also the first quarterback to start a playoff game for Tampa Bay.
Buccaneers starting quarterbacks from 1980 to 1989
Name (Time spent with TB) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bucs) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bucs) |
|---|---|---|
Doug Williams (1978-1982) | 41 (67) | 2 (4) |
Jerry Golsteyn (1982-1983) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
Jack Thompson (1983-1984) | 16 (16) | 0 (0) |
Steve DeBerg (1984-1987, 1992-1993) | 34 (37) | 0 (0) |
Steve Young (1985-1986) | 19 (19) | 0 (0) |
John Reaves (1987) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
Jim Zorn (1987) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Vinny Testaverde (1987-1992) | 33 (72) | 0 (0) |
Joe Ferguson (1988-1989) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
Williams kicked off the 1980s as Tampa Bay's starting quarterback but the two did not end things on a great note. The Bucs tried to find their next franchise signal-caller but by the end of the 1980s, the Williams ended up starting the most number of games for them.
The Bucs did end up drafting Vinny Testaverde in 1987 who went on to start a total of 72 games for them. It led to zero playoff appearances, however.
Buccaneers starting quarterbacks from 1990 to 1999
Name (Time spent with TB) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bucs) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bucs) |
|---|---|---|
Vinny Testaverde (1987-1992) | 39 (72) | 0 (0) |
Chris Chandler (1990-1991) | 6 (6) | 0 (0) |
Jeff Carlson (1990-1991) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Steve DeBerg (1985-1987, 1992-1993) | 3 (37) | 0 (0) |
Craig Erickson (1992-1994) | 30 (30) | 0 (0) |
Trent Dilfer (1994-1999) | 76 (76) | 2 (2) |
Shaun King (1999-2003) | 5 (22) | 2 (3) |
Eric Zeier (1999-2000) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
The Bucs did a better job at finding consistency at the quarterback position in the 1990s. Testaverde, Craig Erickson, and Trent Dilfer all started double-digit games for them during the decade. Second-rounder Shaun King came into the fold in 1999 and started two playoff games during his rookie season.
Buccaneers starting quarterbacks from 2000 to 2009
Name (Time spent with TB) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bucs) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bucs) |
|---|---|---|
Shaun King (1999-2003) | 17 (22) | 1 (3) |
Brad Johnson (2001-2004) | 49 (49) | 4 (4) |
Rob Johnson (2002) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
Chris Simms (2004-2006) | 15 (15) | 1 (1) |
Brian Griese (2004-2005, 2008) | 21 (21) | 0 (0) |
Bruce Gradkowski (2006-2007) | 11 (11) | 0 (0) |
Tim Rattay (2006) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
Jeff Garcia (2007-2008) | 24 (24) | 1 (1) |
Luke McCown (2007-2008) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
Byron Leftwich (2009) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
Josh Johnson (2009-2011) | 4 (5) | 0 (0) |
Josh Freeman (2009-2013) | 9 (59) | 0 (0) |
A whopping 12 different quarterbacks started games for the Bucs in the new millennium. Normally you'd see such a high number of starting quarterbacks and think that the team was garbage throughout the entire decade. That was kind of true but the Bucs did win a Super Bowl in the 2002 season with three different quarterbacks starting in the regular season.
Brad Johnson started the majority of the games that season and was also the quarterback with the most starts under his belt in the 2000s, starting 49 games and four playoff games. Only two other quarterbacks started playoff games for the Bucs in the 00s (Chris Simms in 2005 and Jeff Garcia in 2007).
Buccaneers starting quarterbacks from 2010 to 2019
Name (Time spent with TB) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bucs) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bucs) |
|---|---|---|
Josh Freeman (2009-2013) | 50 (59) | 0 (0) |
Josh Johnson (2009-2011) | 1 (5) | 0 (0) |
Mike Glennon (2013-2016) | 18 (18) | 0 (0) |
Jameis Winston (2015-2019) | 70 (70) | 0 (0) |
Ryan Fitzpatrick (2017-2018) | 10 (10) | 0 (0) |
Unlike the 2000s, the Bucs had more consistency at the quarterback position in the 2010s but it didn't lead to playoff appearances. The team went the entire decade without reaching the postseason. They invested in quarterback in the draft, landing Josh Freeman in the first round in 2009 and taking Jameis Winston first overall in 2015. Neither panned out as the saving grace of the franchise.
Buccaneers starting quarterbacks from 2020 to Present
Name (Time spent with TB) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bucs) | Playoff starts this decade (Career starts with Bucs) |
|---|---|---|
Tom Brady (2020-2022) | 50 (50) | 7 (7) |
Baker Mayfield (2023-Present) | 17 (17) | 2 (2) |
We're still early in the 2020s but so far, the decade has been kind to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They signed Tom Brady in the 2020 offseason and were rewarded with an immediate Super Bowl title that season. Brady started seven playoff games for the Bucs in his three-year stint, the most in franchise history.
When Brady called it quits, Baker Mayfield took over the reigns as the starter and surprised the world by leading Tampa to a division title and a playoff win.
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