Brett Rypien is not a household name. He’ll never be a star quarterback like his father, Mark Rypien, was. The elder Rypien helped guide the Washington Redskins to win in Super Bowl XXII over Buffalo in 1992. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles was a safety for the Redskins at the time.
But Brett Rypien was the first quarterback that Bucs safety Mike Edwards picked off. That interception came in Denver during the 2020 season. Edwards picked off Rypien in the end zone in Tampa Bay’s 28-10 win in the Mile High City.
Since then, Edwards’ interceptions have come against more notable quarterbacks. His next one came against Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, a future Hall of Famer, in Week 6 of the 2020 season. That turnover helped the Bucs come back to beat the Packers, 38-10. Edwards nearly scored on that play, returning the pick 37 yards deep into Green Bay territory.
The Bucs play the Packers again at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, and that interception against Rodgers is one that Edwards won’t forget. In fact, he still has the ball that Rodgers threw.
“He’s one of the most skilled quarterbacks I’ve ever seen, one of the greatest quarterbacks,” Edwards said. “To pick him off, I gotta keep that ball [laughs].”
Edwards’ next interception was even more special. He has the distinction of intercepting Drew Brees’ final NFL pass in a 30-20 win at New Orleans in the 2020 NFC Divisional Playoffs. That interception, which came off a deflection by linebacker Lavonte David, helped punch Tampa Bay’s ticket to Green Bay to face Rodgers again in the NFC Championship. Brees is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history.
The next quarterback Edwards pilfered wasn’t as decorated as Brees, but will likely end up in the Hall of Fame, too. Edwards had two pick-sixes against Atlanta’s Matt Ryan in a 48-25 win in Week 2. That earned the former third-round pick NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors last year.
Edwards also intercepted New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones last year to finish with a career-high three interceptions. That gave him the team lead with three picks, which is not bad for a part-time player who only started four games in 2021. Edwards added another INT in the Bucs’ 31-15 playoff win against Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts.
Now as a full-time starter replacing Jordan Whitehead, Edwards notched the third pick-six of his career with a 68-yard return for a touchdown in last week’s 20-10 win at New Orleans. The quarterback he victimized was former teammate Jameis Winston, who threw 30 interceptions in his last season in Tampa Bay in 2019. Winston threw an NFL-record seven pick-sixes that year.
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But out of his seven career interceptions, Edwards’ biggest thrill was the one that pick didn’t count. Edwards got an interception against his own quarterback, Tom Brady, in practice.
“Oh, I was the first person to pick him off when he got here,” Edwards said. “First practice, I think the first play actually, I picked him off. I should have made him sign the ball for me.
“Picking off somebody like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees – it’s a special moment.”
Edwards will get one more chance to record another interception against Rodgers this week when the Packers come to town for the Bucs’ home opener. Cornerback Jamel Dean, who had a pick-six against Rodgers in the 2020 regular season, is the Bucs’ current interceptions leader with two. Both of those came last week against Winston in New Orleans.
But Edwards plans to lead the team in picks once again this season. He’s not concerned about Dean’s early lead.
“We’re not worried about that,” Edwards said. “Trust me. We already had a bet last year that safeties would get more picks than corners, which we did and we still haven’t got our reward for it. It’s not double or nothing this year, we need our stuff now [laughs]. We tied up right now, Antoine [Winfield] got one and I got one, and Dean got two. But it’s early, real early.”
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