Tampa Bay has added further to its post-Tom Brady quarterback room. The team announced on Tuesday that they have signed John Wolford.
The 27-year-old originally joined the Jets as a UDFA in 2018, but his only game action to date has come with the Rams. Wolford has appeared in seven games for Los Angeles across the past three years, making his debut in a must-win regular-season finale in 2020 which resulted in a victory.
He played only in relief the following campaign behind Matthew Stafford but made three starts in relief of the veteran in 2022. Wolford totaled 390 yards during that stretch, throwing one touchdown and three interceptions while compiling a passer rating of 64.6. The Wake Forest product was not given a qualifying offer this offseason, opening the door to a departure in free agency.
After the Rams elected to add a pair of rookie passers – Stetson Bennett and Max Duggan in the fourth and seventh rounds of the draft, respectively – signs pointed to Wolford needing to look elsewhere for his next opportunity. It will come in Tampa Bay, where he will compete with a familiar face in the form of Baker Mayfield for playing time.
The latter’s Rams debut came in relief of Wolford days after he was claimed off waivers from the Panthers. Mayfield parlayed his Los Angeles audition into a one-year deal with the Buccaneers, which many feel will represent his final chance to establish himself as an NFL starter. Mayfield already had competition for the No. 1 spot due to the presence of 2021 second-rounder Kyle Trask, who is expected to get a look at starting duties at least during training camp. Now, Wolford will join that pair as the Buccaneers try to establish a pecking order in their rebuilt QB room.
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