The Tampa Bay Buccaneers still had Tom Brady when they drafted quarterback Kyle Trask in the second round in 2021, which meant the former Florida Gator was destined for a couple seasons in developmental mode to start his NFL career. Brady retired after the 2022 campaign and Trask found himself in a competition with free agent acquisition Baker Mayfield for the Buccaneers' starting job in 2023. That job eventually went to Mayfield, who performed so well in his first year as the Bucs' starter that he landed a lucrative multi-year contract to remain in that role.
That means Trask is a second-stringer once again heading into 2024. But that also means he's one play away from being at the helm of the Bucs' offense. And he feels ready if his number is called.
"I feel a lot more confident," said Trask. "My reps are really good in the preseason. I think the more reps I get under my belt the more I figure out the real timing of the game. Obviously, the regular season is a step faster but it's still NFL speed at the end of the day. The more reps I get under my belt, the more my confidence continues to grow and the more I can put together those drives, sustained drives, and finish with touchdowns. That's the ultimate confidence booster for a quarterback.
Mayfield and the Bucs' starting offense played for the first time in the 2024 preseason on Friday night against Miami, and it went well. Mayfield completed all three of his passes for 54 yards, leading the Bucs on a game-opening touchdown drive. Because that went so well, Head Coach Todd Bowles immediately pulled his starters, turning over the rest of the game to Trask. The fourth-year signal-caller made the most of the opportunity, completing 17 of 24 passes for 141 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 113.4 passer rating. Both of his touchdown tosses to Ryan Miller and Tanner Knue were impressive pieces of touch throws over defenders.
Trask completed 65.1% of his preseason passes, had three touchdown passes against one interception and finished with a passer rating of 91.6. It's difficult to determine how much that means since the Bucs, like every team, kept most of their real offense under wraps. But Trask believes, for good reason, that he operated the Bucs' offense well.
"In terms of just taking care of the ball, getting us into the right plays, making the throws when they need to be made," he said. "Obviously, I can still improve, but I do think it's my best out of the past three [preseasons]. So, yeah, just build off of that and continue to grow."
Trask is the final year of his rookie contract. He knows that what he is putting on tape in the preseason matters to both the Buccaneers and the rest of the league. But that's for another day.
"Right now, I'm focused on our team one thousand percent," said Trask. "I'm trying to help this team the best that I can. That's how I feel at the end of the day.
