Tom Brady lasted 20 years in New England, which is impressive, but it might not be as impressive as the longevity record that Ryan Griffin could end up setting this year.
The Buccaneers backup quarterback, who signed a one-year deal with the team this week, is on the verge of setting a longevity record that almost doesn't seem believable, but not in a good way. If Griffin makes the roster in 2021, he'll become the first Buccaneers quarterback in franchise history to make the team for seven straight seasons.
If Ryan Griffin makes the Bucs' roster in 2021, he'll be the first quarterback in Tampa Bay history to do so for seven straight seasons. Testaverde and Dilfer were here for six, DeBerg had six over two stints. Hasn't played much, but for sheer longevity, he'll have the record.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) April 20, 2021
That fact basically tells you all you need to know about the Buccaneers quarterback situation throughout their franchise history. To put the Buccaneers record in perspective, the Seahawks were also an expansion team in 1976 and they've had two quarterbacks who spent at least 10 years with the team (Dave Kreig, Matt Hasselbeck) and Russell Wilson will be joining that list in 2021, which makes it even more surprising that the Buccaneers have never had a QB last more than six seasons.
Although the Buccaneers were never really able to find a quarterback before Brady arrived, it wasn't for a lack of trying. Since their expansion year in 1976, they've drafted two Heisman winners (Vinny Testaverde and Jameis Winston) while also signing another one to be their starter (Steve Spurrier). Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, none of three really ended up panning out.
The Buccaneers also drafted two future Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in Doug Williams and Steve Young, but neither guy won a Lombardi Trophy in Tampa Bay. As noted by Auman, if Griffin is on the roster in 2021, he'll top a mark that is currently held by Steve DeBerg (1984-87, 92-93), Vinny Testaverde (1987-92) and Trent Dilfer (1994-99).
If Brady wants to break Griffin's record, he'd likely have to play through at least the 2026 season when he'll be 49 years old (and this is assuming Griffin doesn't extend his record after the 2021 season). Although Brady is unlikely to top that record -- but let's not completely rule it out, because this is Brady -- he probably doesn't care and that's because he set plenty of franchise records in just one season with the team.
In his first year with the Buccaneers, Brady set the single-season record for touchdown passes (40), the franchise record for playoff wins by a quarterback (four) and he's also thrown TWICE as many postseason touchdown passes as any other QB in team history. Brady has 10 and no other Buccaneers QB has more than five playoff touchdown passes in their career with the team.
