TAMPA, FL. – Buccaneers fans watching last Thursday night’s game between the Jets and Colts likely had a bit of a flashback when Josh Johnson replaced the injured Mike White in the first quarter.
Johnson was drafted by the Bucs 13 years ago and started five games over four years with the team before becoming an NFL nomad. He is one of four former Buccaneers quarterbacks who are plying their trade elsewhere in the league this season. Here is a look at the quartet, who combined to start 103 games for the Bucs.
Josh Johnson (Jets)
Johnson was selected by the Bucs in the fifth round of the 2008 draft after a career at San Diego University that included a remarkable senior season in which he threw 43 touchdowns and one interception. Johnson saw his first action with the Bucs in 2009 and made his first of four starts that season when Byron Leftwich, currently the team’s offensive coordinator, was benched following a 24-0 loss to the Giants in which Tampa Bay totaled all of 86 yards.
In six games that season, Johnson threw for 685 yards with four touchdowns and eight interceptions. He made one start for the Buccaneers in 2011 and finished his stint with the team going 0-5 as a starter. He threw for 1,042 yards, five TDs and 10 interceptions.
The 35-year-old has since started only three games (Washington in 2018) and appeared in nine. Johnson has been with 15 NFL teams, though the Jets are only the fourth with which he has taken the field.
Mike Glennon (Giants)
The third-round pick in 2013 out of North Carolina State made his debut as a rookie when coach Greg Schiano had enough of Josh Freeman and made Glennon the starter effective Week 4 against the visiting Cardinals. Glennon threw for 2,608 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions while compiling a rating of 83.9.
Glennon started five games for the Bucs in 2014 (83.3 rating) before giving way to Josh McCown. He did not take a snap while serving as rookie Jameis Winston’s backup in 2015 before appearing in two games in 2016. All told, Glennon appeared in 21 games (18 starts) with the Bucs and threw 30 touchdown passes with 15 interceptions. He signed a three-year, $45-million deal with the Bears in March 2017, though he started only four games in his lone season in Chicago. Including his final season with Tampa Bay, Glennon is with his sixth team in as many years.
Jameis Winston (Saints)
The first-overall selection in the 2015 draft out of Florida State made his much-anticipated debut in that year’s season opener against Tennessee, which drafted Marcus Mariota second overall out of Oregon. Winston threw two touchdown passes and two picks in a 42-14 loss. He went on to throw for 4,402 yards and 22 touchdown passes with 15 interceptions as a rookie.
Winston opened his career with 40 straight starts before a shoulder injury rendered him inactive for three weeks in 2017. In five seasons with the Bucs, he threw for 19,737 yards, 121 touchdowns with 88 interceptions with an 86.9 rating. In 2019, his final season in Tampa, Winston became the first 30/30 QB in league history when he threw 33 touchdowns passes and 30 interceptions. Seven of his picks were returned for touchdowns, a league record.
Winston signed a one-year deal with the Saints in April 2020, six weeks after Tom Brady signed with the Bucs. Winston, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against his former team on October 31, re-signed with New Orleans for this season.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (Washington)
The only quarterback among the four on this list who was not drafted by Tampa Bay, Fitzpatrick was a seventh-round selection of the Rams in 2005 out of Harvard. The Bucs signed him to a one-year, $3-million deal in 2017. At that point, Fitzpatrick was 35 and had played for six teams over 12 seasons. He was two years removed from setting career highs in passing yards (3,905) and touchdown passes (31 TDs) with the Jets.
Fitzpatrick played two seasons with the Bucs, started 10 games, and threw 24 touchdown passes with 15 interceptions. He signed with Miami in 2019 where he played two seasons prior to latching on with Washington. The Bucs host Washington on Sunday, but will not see Fitzpatrick, who suffered a hip injury in Week 1 against the Chargers and has yet to return. Fitzpatrick, who turns 39 on November 24, needs 10 passing yards for 35,000 in his career.
Support journalism by clicking here to our GoFundMe or sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. It’s Free And Coming To Apple Users Soon
- The Only Thing Hotter Than Tom Brady Are His Football Cards
- Bucs Dominate And Still Feel They Can Play Better
- Mike Zunino “Extremely Excited” Rays Picked Up His Option
- Friday’s “Salute To Service” Game Will Be Special For USF’s Antonio Grier, Jr.