Chicago announced Feb. 23 that Griffin has been added to the coaching staff in an assistant role, signaling the end of his playing career, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports.
The 34-year-old Griffin didn't play in the NFL in 2023, but he still kept his career going abroad, as he had played for the Varese Skorpions of the Italian Football League. Griffin has since returned stateside, but he'll be working with the Bears quarterbacks this offseason rather than competing for a roster spot. The signal-caller spent time in the NFL with the Saints and Buccaneers from 2013 through 2022, serving primarily as a third-string quarterback or practice-squad member over his decade-long run in the professional ranks. He appeared in just three NFL games during his career and completed two of four pass attempts for 18 yards.
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Ryan Griffin: Cut by Bucs
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Griffin was waived by the Buccaneers on Tuesday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Griffin re-signed with the Buccaneers in March but he will now look for another opportunity, as the team opted to keep Blaine Gabbert and Kyle Trask as the two reserve options behind Tom Brady to open the 2022 campaign. The quarterback has been with the Buccaneers organization since 2015 and will likely return to the team's practice squad once he clears waivers.
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Ryan Griffin: Released by Tampa Bay
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Griffin was released by the Buccaneers on Tuesday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
The Buccaneers will seemingly keep two quarterbacks -- Blaine Gabbert and rookie second-round pick Kyle Trask -- to back up Tom Brady. Griffin has thrown just four regular-season passes since entering the NFL in 2013. He'll be a practice-squad candidate.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Staying with Tampa
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Griffin is re-signing with the Buccaneers.
Griffin was the team's No. 3 quarterback last season, stuck behind Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert all year. Gabbert is currently a free agent, but the Bucs still have plenty of time to re-sign him or bring in someone else to compete for the backup job. At the moment, Brady and Griffin are the only QBs on the roster.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Won't dress for Week 15
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Griffin (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's matchup against the Falcons.
The Tulane standout remains without a snap played in 2020, as Blaine Gabbert continues to slot in as the backup quarterback behind Tom Brady. For his career, Griffin has only attempted four passes over two regular-season appearances.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Remains out Sunday
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Griffin (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game versus the Broncos, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Griffin remains the No. 3 QB behind Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert, so he'll likely remain inactive unless one of the aforementioned gets hurt.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Inactive against Panthers
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Griffin (coach's decision) has been listed among the Buccaneers' inactive players for Sunday's matchup against Carolina, per the team's official Twitter account.
The 30-year-old signal-caller will not put on a uniform Sunday, as it will instead be former first-round pick Blaine Gabbert who serves as a backup behind Tom Brady. Griffin attempted the first four regular-season passes of his career last year for Tampa Bay, but with Gabbert in the mix, he's been moved to the inactive list for Sunday's intradivisional clash.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Minimal role in '19
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Griffin completed two of four passes for 18 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions across two appearances during the 2019 season. He also netted minus-1 yard on four rushes.
As has been the case his entire career, Griffin's role was negligible, but he at least finally had an opportunity to see regular-season action for the first time in seven pro seasons. Griffin only was called in to handle a series for Jameis Winston during a Week 14 win over the Colts when the latter suffered what ultimately was determined to be a thumb fracture. Griffin otherwise played four snaps (but did not attempt a pass) at the end of a Week 15 blowout win over the Lions. Coach Bruce Arians certainly didn't seem to have any sense of urgency to afford Griffin game reps ahead of a potential starting job battle in 2020, even as Winston threw multiple interceptions in six of his last eight games. Therefore, it appears likely the veteran slots into a clear backup role again in 2020, assuming Winston is brought back on the franchise tag. However, if the team reverses course on its previously stated plans to have the 2015 first overall pick back under center next season, Griffin could potentially have an opportunity to make a play for the vacancy.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Will remain No. 2 QB
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Griffin will continue to be Jameis Winston's backup quarterback after Blaine Gabbert (shoulder) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Buccaneers were holding out hope that Gabbert could make a return, but he was unable to recover. Griffin will be Winston's backup quarterback for the remainder of the season. Whenever Winston is under center, there's always a chance he falters and his backup is called upon, although he's played well enough to avoid any speculation thus far.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Another impressive performance
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Griffin completed 14 of 21 passes for 201 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the Buccaneers' 16-14 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday.
Griffin capped off a second straight strong preseason effort by helping set up Matt Gay's game-winning 48-yard field goal, notching a pair of completions to tight end Tanner Hudson to get the ball down to the Dolphins' 27-yard line. The veteran could hardly have made a better case for himself over the first two exhibitions, quickly demonstrating his grasp of coach Bruce Arians' offense. That's a particularly important development in Griffin's competition with Blaine Gabbert, considering the latter's one primary advantage coming into the offseason was prior experience in Arians' system. Griffin could potentially seal the backup job with a third straight productive effort when the Buccaneers face off with the Browns next Friday.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Eclipses 300-yard mark in opener
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Griffin completed 26 of 43 passes for 330 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the Buccaneers' 30-28 preseason loss to the Steelers on Friday. He also lost a fumble.
Griffin had no shortage of opportunity to showcase his skills, and he capitalized on the platform to demonstrate a solid grasp of coach Bruce Arians' offense. Game script worked in Griffin's favor as well, as the Buccaneers were in a trail position throughout the second half and continued throwing the ball until their final snap. Griffin particularly displayed excellent chemistry with undrafted rookie receiver Spencer Schnell and second-year tight end Tanner Hudson, with whom he connected for 14 of his completions, including several chunk plays down the stretch. Griffin's bid for the No. 2 role behind Jameis Winston certainly got off to a good start, but veteran Blaine Gabbert, who had a head start on Griffin with respect to familiarity with Arians' system, is likely to serve as formidable competition for the duration of preseason.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Set for offseason competition
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Griffin will compete for Tampa Bay's backup quarterback role after the team signed fellow quarterback Blaine Gabbert on Monday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Griffin served as Tampa's third quarterback for the vast majority of the 2018 campaign, eventually bumping ahead of Ryan Fitzpatrick for the No. 2 spot over the final two weeks. Given that Griffin hasn't attempted a pass in a regular-season game, Gabbert certainly will push him for the backup job.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Backup to Winston again
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Griffin is the sole backup to Jameis Winston again Week 17 with Ryan Fitzpatrick declared inactive versus the Falcons, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
The 29-year-old will thus have another opportunity to garner his first taste of NFL game action, something coach Dirk Koetter specifically noted was on the team's radar during his Monday press conference following the Week 16 loss to the Cowboys. Sunday's game against the Falcons is essentially for draft positioning and pride for the division rivals, so Griffin could well see the field at some point in the second half.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Sharp in extended time versus Dolphins
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Griffin completed 20 of 26 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in Thursday's 26-24 preseason victory over the Dolphins.
Griffin played the entire second half, and as his final line implies, he was sharp throughout. While he averaged a modest 6.9 yards per attempt, the sixth-year quarterback went 4-for-4 on a seven-play, 67-yard drive late in the fourth quarter to set up a game-winning field goal. However, no matter how impressive Griffin is in the Buccaneers' three remaining exhibitions, he's essentially locked into the No. 3 spot on the depth chart, although he'll bump up a notch for the first three weeks of the season while Jameis Winston serves his suspension.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Could challenge Fitzpatrick
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Griffin may challenge Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job while Jameis Winston serves a three-game suspension to open the season, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Griffin went undrafted in 2014 and has yet to play in a regular-season game, whereas Fitzpatrick made three starts last year to bring his career total to 119. The 35-year-old is an obvious favorite to replace Winston for Weeks 1-3, but the Bucs at least figure to take a good look at Griffin during training camp and the preseason. Undrafted rookie Austin Allen is the fourth quarterback on Tampa Bay's 90-man roster.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Doesn't see action in 2017
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Griffin didn't log any snaps for the Buccaneers during the 2017 season while backing up Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The 28-year-old has yet to see action in a regular-season game over five seasons in the NFL. Griffin completed just four of nine passes for 57 yards with one interception last preseason before suffering a shoulder injury against the Bengals in the exhibition opener, which led to him being placed on injured reserve until a Nov. 7 activation. When Winston missed three full games and a portion of another with a shoulder injury of his own, Griffin was just a Fitzpatrick injury away from seeing snaps, but that never came to fruition. However, he could find himself as the primary backup to Winston in 2018, as Griffin is on the books for a reasonable $1.1 million, while Fitzpatrick will become an unrestricted free agent in March and is uncertain to be retained.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Injures shoulder
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Griffin left Friday's preseason matchup against the the Bengals after injuring his shoulder, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Griffin had taken a handful of tough hits before leaving the game. The 27-year-old had completed four passes on nine attempts for 57 yards prior to departing. Ryan Fitzpatrick figures to remain under center the rest of the way. The two players are competing for the backup quarterback role, and both were expected to see plenty of action Friday. Griffin was thought to have held a slight edge in the competition heading into the evening. Consider him day-to-day until more information is made available.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Inactive Sunday versus Falcons
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Griffin is inactive Sunday versus the Falcons, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Bucs third quarterback is expected to be inactive on the majority, if not all, games in which both Jameis Winston and Mike Glennon are healthy, barring any move up the depth chart.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Likely to survive final cuts
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Griffin's chances of making the final roster received a strong endorsement from head coach Dirk Koetter, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "I think it's safe (to say) that we're probably going to keep three quarterbacks," Koetter said Monday. "We put a lot of time into Ryan Griffin and I think he's proving that he's capable of being a backup in this league. The second thing, obviously, it's not a big secret that Mike Glennon is going into the last year of his contract. Jameis (Winston) is our quarterback for the long haul, but we've got to have a 2, and those guys take so long to train ... I mean, we've invested a full year into (Griffin's) training. ... He's done a good job when he's on the field and we think he's got a chance to be here longterm."
The 26-year-old's job appears safe, which isn't exactly surprising given his experience in the current offensive system and generally solid training camp and preseason. Griffin was 13-for-23 for 148 yards in the preseason opener versus the Eagles and has been serviceable in limited action over the last two weeks against the Jaguars and Browns. After signing with the Bucs in September of last season following his release from the Saints, Griffin spent the 2015 campaign as Tampa's third quarterback, which afforded him a season-long immersion in Koetter's playbook. He's slated to serve as the emergency signal-caller once again in 2016, but as Koetter's comments imply, the Tulane product could also find himself as Jameis Winston's primary backup come 2017. Griffin should also see extended action in Wednesday night's preseason finale against the Redskins.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Griffin: Could move up to second string if Mike Glennon is traded
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Head coach Dirk Koetter is prepared to move forward with Griffin as the primary backup to Jameis Winston if Mike Glennon is traded this offseason, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
In the same breath, Koetter admits the prospect of losing Glennon as his immediate contingency plan at quarterback "scares him", but that he would be ready to move forward with Griffin if necessary."Because I'm on record as saying I think Mike is a starter in the NFL," Koetter said. "I'm a huge Mike Glennon fan. I'd love to have Mike Glennon on our football team, but it's a business and if something happens that he's not with us, that's why we acquired Ryan Griffin last year to hopefully ascend into that spot at some point. We're in good position at that spot, we're definitely in the top few teams in the league with our depth at quarterback. But we're just going to have to see how it plays out." The 26-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Saints at the start of the 2015 season, and thus has a year of experience in Koetter's system and working with quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian. If Winston can demonstrate the same durability he exhibited in his rookie season, when he took every snap, Koetter's apprehension might be a moot point.
