The Carolina Panthers are moving on from quarterback Kyle Trask less than a month after adding the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-round pick to their crowded quarterback room.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on August 30 that Carolina is releasing Trask ahead of the 53-man roster deadline. Fowler added that Trask “acquitted himself well” during his short stay and remains an emergency quarterback option for the Panthers.
That ends an abbreviated audition for a quarterback Panthers head coach Dave Canales knows particularly well, and once watched go deep into a Tampa Bay starting competition with Baker Mayfield.
Trask joined Carolina on August 9 after rookie quarterback Haynes King suffered a hamstring injury in the Hall of Fame Game. The Panthers already had Bryce Young entrenched as their starter and veteran Kenny Pickett positioned behind him.
Dave Canales Revealed How Close Kyle Trask Was to Baker Mayfield
Trask’s NFL résumé is modest, but Canales offered considerably more context after Carolina signed him.
Canales was Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator in 2023 when Mayfield and Trask competed for the Buccaneers’ starting job. Speaking after Trask arrived in Carolina, Canales said the competition was far more legitimate than outsiders might remember.
“It was Baker and Kyle competing for the job for most of camp, and people don’t know how well Kyle did in that process to figure out who our starter was going to be,” Canales said, via the Panthers’ official website.
Canales added that it took about two-and-a-half weeks before Mayfield began separating himself as he developed chemistry with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
“Kyle did a fantastic job,” Canales said.
Mayfield ultimately won the job and turned his opportunity in Tampa Bay into a career resurgence. Trask never received a comparable regular-season chance, appearing in only seven games and attempting 11 passes during his first four NFL seasons.
He spent 2025 on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad before reuniting with Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik in Carolina this summer.
Panthers Cut QB Who Once Battled Baker Mayfield for Starting Job