One notable draft bust from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might still have life in his NFL career despite a recent career setback.
The Carolina Panthers released former Buccaneers quarterback and 2nd-round pick Kyle Trask on Sunday — although he might end up somewhere else pretty quickly because of how he played in his short time playing for Carolina head coach and former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales.
“Panthers are releasing QB Kyle Trask, per source,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on his official X account on Sunday. “He acquitted himself well there and is an emergency QB option for the team.”
“Added not long after Will Grier’s retirement/pivot to coaching, Kyle Trask will not be on the Panthers‘ initial 53-man roster,” Pro Football Rumors wrote on its official X account on Sunday. “But he could still factor in as an emergency QB3 with Carolina.”
Bucs Parted Ways With Kyle Trask in Sudden Fashion
The Panthers turned to Trask after an injury to a promising rookie quarterback in the preseason opener.
“The Panthers are expected to add former Bucs QB Kyle Trask following Haynes King’s hamstring injury, per a league source,” Panthers reporter Mike Kaye wrote on his official X account on Saturday. “Trask worked under Dave Canales in Tampa Bay in 2023. He also worked out for the team last week. A corresponding move will be needed.”
Trask, 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds, was a 2nd-round pick (No. 64 overall) by the Buccaneers in the 2021 NFL Draft and spent 4 seasons in Tampa Bay as the backup to Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield before his release as part of the final roster cuts in August 2025. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons to be on their practice squad in November.
Trask worked out for Carolina’s coaching staff on July 29.
“Trask gets another shot with his third NFC South team,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account on Saturday.
The Panthers snapped Tampa Bay’s streak of 3 consecutive NFC South Division titles in 2025 under Canales — despite losing to the Buccaneers in the regular-season finale.
Kyle Trask’s Release Shocked Fans in 2025
Trask’s release was perhaps the most shocking personnel move last offseason for the Buccaneers, who seemed to signal their confidence in him after they signed him to a 1-year, $2.78 million contract in March 2025.
Trask got a tryout with the Indianapolis Colts before Week 7 before he finally landed a job with the Atlanta Falcons.
“(Trask’s) new home with the Falcons makes perfect sense,” Heavy.com’s Christopher Sheppard wrote on November 19. “After the season-ending injury to Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons needed some kind of insurance as they only had two rostered QBs in Kirk Cousins and Easton Stick.”
Former Buccaneers QB Kyle Trask Released by NFC South Rival