Jacksonville Jaguars 2011 season In January 2011, Gabbert announced that he would forgo his senior year to enter the
2011 NFL draft. Gabbert was selected by the
Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft with the 10th overall pick. Jacksonville traded up six spots with the
Washington Redskins to select Gabbert. He was the third quarterback to be selected that year, behind
Cam Newton and
Jake Locker. He is the only quarterback chosen in the first round of that draft class to win a Super Bowl. On July 28, 2011, Gabbert officially signed his contract to play for the team. The deal was worth $12 million over four years. Though not slated to serve as starting quarterback, Gabbert quickly earned playing time under head coach
Jack Del Rio after
David Garrard was released in the preseason and
Luke McCown performed poorly in the first two games. Gabbert played in his first NFL regular season game on September 18, 2011, against the
New York Jets in Week 2. He was then named starter against the
Carolina Panthers the following week. In Week 5, against the
Cincinnati Bengals, Gabbert threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to
Jason Hill. At age 22, Gabbert became the youngest player in league history to start 14 games in a season. He played most of the season with a toe injury on his plant foot. Gabbert struggled in his rookie season. He was sacked 40 times, the third most by any quarterback in the league. He also fumbled 14 times, most in the league by a quarterback. His 50.8% completion percentage was second-worst in the league for passers with more than 200 attempts (ahead of only
Tim Tebow's 46.5%). His 5.4 yards per attempt was last in the league among qualifying passers, as was his 65.4
passer rating.
Football Outsiders calculated that Gabbert's 2011 season was "the fifth worst season we've ever measured" in aggregate value. Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com predicted that Gabbert's potential remained high, and that many of his struggles could be attributed to injuries and the unfavorable circumstances around him, including a rush-centered offense, a lack of talented quarterbacks ahead of him, and a weak receiving corps. Gabbert threw for a then career-high 260 passing yards in the Jaguars' 2012 regular season opener against the
Minnesota Vikings, along with two touchdowns and a career-high 96.1 quarterback rating. Despite his strong performance, the Jaguars lost 26–23 in overtime. In Week 3, a 22–17 victory over the
Indianapolis Colts, Gabbert threw a career-high 80-yard touchdown pass to
Cecil Shorts. Gabbert struggled in the following weeks, including a loss to the
Chicago Bears, in which he threw two interceptions and fumbled once. Both interceptions were returned for touchdowns and the Jaguars lost 41–3. Against the
Oakland Raiders, Gabbert tore the labrum in his non-throwing shoulder during the second quarter, and he was replaced by
Chad Henne. Before being knocked out of the game, Gabbert completed eight of 12 passes for 110 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown pass. The following week, while playing against the
Green Bay Packers, Gabbert passed for over 300 yards for the first time in his career, and completed 27–of–49 attempts for 303 yards in a 24–15 loss. Gabbert was placed on
injured reserve on November 21, 2012, officially ending his season. He was listed as having suffered a right forearm injury. The team cited in an official press release that Gabbert had also been playing with a torn labrum in his left shoulder that would require surgery.
2013 season Gabbert returned for the 2013 season under new head coach
Gus Bradley, but played only three games, finishing with just one touchdown and seven interceptions. He started the season nursing a broken thumb that occurred during a pre-season game. During the season opener, he suffered a lacerated right hand, which required 15 stitches and prevented him from playing the following week against the Raiders. On October 6, in the third quarter against the
St. Louis Rams, Gabbert injured his hamstring, forcing him out of the game.
San Francisco 49ers 2014 season Gabbert was traded to the
San Francisco 49ers on March 11, 2014, for a sixth-round draft pick. Coach
Jim Harbaugh made the following remarks about Gabbert joining the team: "I think he's a very talented player and his career so far hasn't gone on to be what he expected, and maybe others expected it to be. But I believe it can be a really powerful opportunity, powerful motivator for a player to say, 'It wasn't me, it was my situation.' And now he has that opportunity". Gabbert made his 49ers regular-season debut on October 19, 2014, during the team's 42–17 loss to the
Denver Broncos in Week 7. He completed three of seven passes for 38 yards and a touchdown in his only appearance in the 2014 season.
2015 season On March 10, 2015, the 49ers re-signed Gabbert to a two-year, $2 million deal. Going into the 2015 season, he had a new head coach in
Jim Tomsula. On November 2, 2015, he was named starter for the 49ers after
Colin Kaepernick was benched. Gabbert made his first start since October 2013 on November 8, 2015, leading the 49ers to a 17–16 victory over the
Atlanta Falcons. He completed 15 of 25 passes for 185 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The following day, the 49ers announced that Gabbert would remain the starter when the team played the
Seattle Seahawks on November 22. The 49ers lost 29–13, with Gabbert completing 22 of 34 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown with a 98.2 passer rating. With the 49ers down 20–13 against the Bears late in the fourth quarter on December 6, 2015, Gabbert rushed for a 44-yard touchdown, the first rushing touchdown of his career. He then threw a 71-yard game-winning touchdown to
Torrey Smith in overtime for a 26–20 49ers victory. Gabbert finished the 2015 season with 2,031 passing yards with ten touchdowns and seven interceptions for an 86.2 passer rating. In eight games as a starter, he had a 3–5 record.
2016 season On September 3, 2016, Gabbert was named the starting quarterback for the season opener. After starting the first five games of the season, he went 1–4 which led to their coach,
Chip Kelly, starting Colin Kaepernick. Later in the season, he temporarily replaced Kaepernick. After a poor performance in Week 12, he was benched again. He was replaced by
Christian Ponder. Overall, in the 2016 season, he finished with 925 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, and six interceptions to go along with 173 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Arizona Cardinals On May 10, 2017, Gabbert signed a one-year contract with the
Arizona Cardinals. He started the season as the third-string quarterback behind
Carson Palmer and
Drew Stanton under head coach
Bruce Arians. He was named the Week 11 starter after Palmer and Stanton suffered injuries. During the game, Gabbert threw for 257 yards and a career-high three touchdowns as the Cardinals lost to the
Houston Texans by a score of 31–21. Gabbert was benched on December 18, 2017, as the Cardinals' starting quarterback in favor of Stanton after not throwing for a touchdown in back-to-back games. In five games in the 2017 season, he finished with 1,086 passing yards, six touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Tennessee Titans On March 27, 2018, Gabbert signed a two-year contract with the
Tennessee Titans. On September 9, 2018, in the season-opener against the
Miami Dolphins, Gabbert entered the game after starter
Marcus Mariota suffered an elbow injury, but lost the game 27–20. Due to Mariota's injury, Gabbert started the following game against the Texans defeating them 20–17. Gabbert also started in Week 3 against his former team, the Jaguars. During that game, he struggled and was limited to eight passing yards before leaving the 9–6 road victory with a concussion. Due to another injury to Mariota, Gabbert started the final game of the 2018 season with a Wild Card playoff spot on the line. In the game against the Colts, Gabbert passed for 165 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The Titans lost 33–17 and missed the playoffs. Gabbert was released by the Titans on March 15, 2019.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers On March 27, 2019, Gabbert signed with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reuniting him with head coach Arians. On September 24, Gabbert was placed on injured reserve with a dislocated shoulder. Gabbert re-signed with the Buccaneers on a one-year contract on April 2, 2020. On February 7, 2021, Gabbert served as backup quarterback behind
Tom Brady in
Super Bowl LV, where they would go on to defeat the
Kansas City Chiefs 31–9 giving Gabbert his first Super Bowl victory. The Buccaneers re-signed Gabbert on May 10, 2021. The following April, the Buccaneers once again re-signed him. Gabbert remained Brady's backup in 2022 and made his only appearance of the season in Week 18 against the Falcons. In the game, Gabbert completed six passes for 29 yards and a touchdown to
Russell Gage.
Kansas City Chiefs Gabbert signed with the Chiefs on April 19, 2023. He started the regular season finale against the
Los Angeles Chargers after the Chiefs elected to rest
Patrick Mahomes. In his first start since 2018, Gabbert completed 15 of 30 passes for 154 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception to go along with 46 rushing yards during the narrow 13–12 victory. He won his second Super Bowl when the Chiefs defeated his former team, the
San Francisco 49ers, 25–22 in overtime during
Super Bowl LVIII. His contract expired on March 13, 2024 and he became an unrestricted free agent. ==Career statistics==