While Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask held down the main backup job, he could face stiff competition this offseason.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht confirmed on Thursday that the team could draft a quarterback . In addition, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin called the Buccaneers one of five “mystery teams” that could take a quarterback in rounds one or two.
Neither bodes well for Trask, a 2021 second-round pick for the Buccaneers. Trask has played 13 career snaps, and he enters the final year of his four-year, $5.53 million rookie deal.
The Buccaneers could trade Trask before the season if the team drafts a quarterback who can beat Trask for the first backup job. However, Trask wouldn’t garner much in the trade market since fellow 2021 draft quarterbacks haven’t gone for more than a sixth-round pick of late.
Kyle Trask joins the touchdown party 🎉 @ktrask9
If the Buccaneers don’t trade Trask, he could only have one season left in Tampa. His minimal playing time could merit moving on for a different backup in 2025 or if the Buccaneers draft a quarterback this year and he needs time to develop.
Trask has been running out of time to develop since the Buccaneers picked him after a Super Bowl. He had two seasons to learn behind Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert, but Trask’s play in preseason action and regular season games didn’t hold promise for the future.
Baker Mayfield Beating Out Kyle Trask Left Uncertainty for Ex-Florida Star
Tampa Bay signed Baker Mayfield with a one-year, $4 million deal in 2023 as the potential starter after Brady retired. Buccaneers brass claimed a quarterback competition between Mayfield and Trask, but Mayfield took the reins decisively in the preseason and never looked back.
Mayfield had a career year with 4,044 yards passing for 28 touchdowns versus 10 interceptions. He led the Buccaneers to an NFC South title and a Divisional Round game appearance.
The Buccaneers rewarded Mayfield with a three-year, $100 million deal in March. After Mayfield, the Buccaneers have minimal experience in Trask and fellow backup John Wolford for a second-straight year.
Wolford actually has more experience than Trask from a three-year stint with the Los Angeles Rams. The former Wake Forest standout has four career starts, and Wolford worked with Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen in Los Angeles.
Whether or not Wolford could surpass Trask — and a possible rookie — as the primary backup remains to be seen. Wolford spent most of the 2023 season on the Buccaneers practice squad, but he joined the team in May while Trask has been with the team since 2021.
Buccaneers Have 2 Viable QB Options in the Draft
If the Buccaneers took a quarterback with either the No. 26 pick or the No. 57 pick, the team will likely have talented options in a quarterback-rich class. It’s possible for Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. to be available at No. 26, but the Buccaneers could tab South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler at No. 57 instead.
Penix, a Tampa area native, threw for 13,741 yards and 96 touchdowns versus 34 picks in his college career. Rattler threw for 10,807 yards and 77 touchdowns versus 32 picks in college.
Either could contend for the first backup spot behind Mayfield if the Buccaneers go that route in the draft.
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Buccaneers QB Kyle Trask on Notice Amid Draft Comments: Analysis