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As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers “agreed to terms” with backup quarterback John Wolford, general manager Jason Licht had some fun on Friday, March 15.
Licht broke the news on X, formerly Twitter, at 3:37 p.m. Eastern and later followed up by trolling Adam Schefter’s report, which came at 3:43 p.m. Eastern on the platform. Schefter notably included Licht as the source in the report.
“Sorry not sorry I out scooped you Adam,” Licht wrote.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport joined in the fun as he commented “who is the source?” Rapoport and Schefter of course are two of the biggest NFL insiders around and often break news with an unnamed source.
It capped an otherwise pleasant week for Licht and the Buccaneers amid the re-signing of starting quarterback Baker Mayfield. With Wolford back in the fold, the Buccaneers retain the same quarterback room as last season.
Mayfield expressed his appreciation of quarterback room continuity during Wednesday’s press conference — albeit before Wolford’s official return. The Buccaneers also have fellow backup quarterback Kyle Trask for 2024.
“Obviously Thad is in here — Thad Lewis, our QB coach, as well — knowing that we have that room that we’re bringing back and we can really control this thing and control the ship,” Mayfield said.
John Wolford Familiar With New OC Liam Coen
While much has rightfully been made of Mayfield’s connection with new offensive coordinator Liam Coen from their time with the Los Angeles Rams, Wolford likewise has that connection from his Rams stint.
Wolford played for the Rams from 2019 to 2022, and Coen served on the offensive coaching staff from 2018 to 2020 and in 2022. The Buccaneers signed Wolford as a free agent in 2023 where he split time between the practice squad and active roster.
Undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2018, Wolford started off with the New York Jets but didn’t last the season on the practice squad. He made use of his opportunity with the Arizona Hotshots in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football league in 2019, which led to his return to the NFL.
Wolford signed with the Rams after the AAF stopped play and eventually folded. He spent the 2019 season on the practice squad but caught on as a roster backup from 2020 to 2022.
In 2020, Wolford won his first NFL start as he completed 57.9% of his passes for 231 yards and an interception. More starts came Wolford’s way in 2022 as he went 1-2 and completed 61.3% of his passes for 390 yards and a touchdown versus three interceptions.
Wolford didn’t receive any regular season snaps with the Buccaneers in 2023. Mayfield remained healthy and Trask only played three offensive snaps in two game appearances.
Why Kyle Trask Didn’t Get Traded
Trade speculation surrounding Trask surfaced this offseason, but Licht shot it down during the “Ira Kaufman Podcast” on February 28.
“Not at this point. No,” Licht said on the podcast regarding calls for Trask. “But it wouldn’t be the time, I don’t think.”
A second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Trask never emerged as a starter after sitting behind Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert for two seasons. Mayfield beat out Trask in training camp last year, and Trask only has 10 passes in regular season action for his career.
As JoeBucsFan.com pointed out, the Buccaneers certainly couldn’t get much value for Trask in light of the former New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones trade. The Patriots received a sixth-round pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars for Jones, and Jones, the No. 15 pick in 2021, has 43 career starts, JoeBucsFan.com wrote.
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