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Tampa Bay Buccaneers signing Rodrigo Blankenship

Matt Connollyby: Matt Connolly06/15/23MattConnollyOn3
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(Chamberlain Smith/UGA Sports Communications)

Rodrigo Blankenship is getting another shot in the NFL. The former Georgia kicker is signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapaport.

Blankenship was undrafted after a great career with the Bulldogs. He has played for the Colts and Cardinals in the National Football League.

The Marietta, Georgia native won the Lou Groza Award in 2019, which is given to the top kicker in college football. He was also named a first-team All-American that season by multiple publications. Blankenship was 27-for-33 on field-goal attempts his final season at Georgia.

Blankenship appeared in three games in the NFL last season, playing two with the Cardinals and one with the Colts. He made 2 of his 3 attempts with the Colts, and was 2-for-2 for the Cardinals, including a 50-yarder.

For his NFL career, Blankenship is 47-for-56 on field-goal attempts. He has been money from short distance but inconsistent on long field goal attempts.

From 20-29 yards, Rodrigo Blankenship is 15-for-15, and from 30-39 yards he is 15-for-17. Even from 40-49 yards Blankenship is 15-for-19. However, he is only 2-for-5 on attempts of 50 yards or more. That is likely why Blankenship has been unable to find a consistent home in the NFL. Perhaps that will change now that he is with the Buccaneers.

Baker Mayfield heckles former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship over Rose Bowl

It seems Baker Mayfield can’t let go of a bitter memory, even when it involves a new teammate. And even if said memory happened in college.

Obviously, the kick in the gut of blowing a 17-point lead to the Georgia Bulldogs and losing in double overtime still lingers, especially if you’re the Oklahoma quarterback.

We’re assuming Mayfield was teasing, Tuesday, as minicamp opened in Tampa. The Bucs welcomed new kicker Rodrigo Blankenship. Mayfield trotted past, but extended his hand to tell Blankenship hello.

“I still don’t like you,” Baker Mayfield told the kicker.

So what did Blankenship do to Baker Mayfield? Let’s kick it back to the 2018 Rose Bowl, which served as a semifinal for the College Football Playoffs. Mayfield, who’d won the Heisman the month before, led second-seeded OU into the game. And the Georgia defense, initially, had no answer for the Sooners’ high-octane offense.

Mayfield even caught a touchdown pass from receiver CeeDee Lamb at the end of the first half to give the Sooners a 17-point lead. But the advantage evaporated as the Bulldogs began pounding the ball with Sony Michel and Nick Chubb.

Blankenship kicked a 38-yard field goal in the first overtime. He didn’t need to kick the extra point after Michel scored the winning touchdown in the second OT for the 54-38 victory. Georgia went on to lose to Alabama in the national title game. (That game gave birth to the legend of Tua Tagovailoa, but that’s for another story). And the Rose Bowl closed out Baker Mayfield’s college football career.