Getty Baker Mayfield remains the starter for the Buccaneers.
A four-game losing streak, capped by a “devastating loss” could call for a quarterback change, but that’s not the case with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
NFL insider Jay Glazer of FOX Sports says the Buccaneers coaches don’t have confidence in playing third-year quarterback Kyle Trask. The Buccaneers’ recent plummet doesn’t justify moving to Trask over Baker Mayfield as Glazer sees it.
“Look, they know what Kyle Trask can do. Right?” Glazer said on the Fox NFL podcast on Monday, November 6. “They see him every day. They know what Baker Mayfield can do.”
“So I think if they thought Kyle Trask could give us a better shot to win right now, we’d go over and do that. But I don’t think they believe that,” Glazer continued.
BAKER MAYFIELD. CLUTCH 🤯
In addition, the Buccaneers haven’t fallen far enough despite no wins in more than a month and a defensive debacle in Houston. The Buccaneers (3-5) sit 1.5 games back of the New Orleans Saints (5-4), a team Tampa Bay beat once convincingly already.
“Any other division, I’d say, ‘Yeah!’” Glazer said. “But no! You’re still right there [in the NFC South race] in Tampa, absolutely. Look, teams were calling about Mike Evans, ‘no, we’re still in this thing.’ So they weren’t interested in doing that.”
“You’re still in it in the [NFC] South. … All you have to do is get in the dance at the end,” Glazer continued. “That’s it. So, even if you have a losing record, you just have to get in it and anything can happen.”
Baker Mayfield Enjoying a Career Revival
Baker Mayfield with a TD bomb to Otton to take the lead 😮💨
Mayfield arguably gives the Buccaneers the best chance for anything to happen. He ranks 11th in touchdowns, 12, and second for fewest interceptions, four, among quarterbacks who have played eight or more games.
Similarly, Mayfield has taken the second-fewest sacks out of any starting quarterback in the league this season behind Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. Mayfield has enjoyed a career resurgence with the Buccaneers with 1,856 yards, a 92.7 passer rating, and a 64.9% completion rate.
He will look to help get the Buccaneers back on track in Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans.
Playing Kyle Trask Means the End for the Buccaneers in 2023
Former Buccaneers offensive lineman and current “In the Trenches” podcast host Ian Beckles sees playing Trask as a ticket for the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft. That’s only if the Buccaneers can lose more games than the Arizona Cardinals (1-8).
“You take Baker Mayfield out of there right now and put Kyle Trask in, you’re talking about first pick in the draft. I’m saying it,” Beckles said during his show last week.
KYLE TRASK TD PASS
“The reason Baker Mayfield is here is because of Kyle Trask,” Beckles added. “This ain’t the time for Trask, yo. No way. He don’t know football. When he gets in there it is going to look bad, I’m just telling you. It’s going to look bad. It ain’t gonna look better than it is now.”
Beckles also noted that playing Trask would lead to unwanted consequences. The Buccaneers have a talented roster with a dearth of players left from a Super Bowl run in 2020.
“If you put Kyle Trask in there you will lose the locker room,” Beckles said. “Completely. You put Kyle Trask out there Mike Evans is going to shut down. They ain’t going to be happy. I’m not sure they are happy now.”
“You went from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield. Now you go from Baker Mayfield to Kyle Trask? Too far of a plummet. Too far. Can’t do that,” Beckles concluded.