Baker Mayfield
Mike Ehrmann/Getty
TAMPA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 23: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks on during the NFL Preseason 2025 game between the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
“Yep, it’s unfortunately the nature of the business, which it stinks,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield said in a press conference on Wednesday. The team cut backup QB Kyle Trask as part of their final roster cuts to get down to the 53-man roster limit. Trask had spent four years with the team since being drafted in the second round in 2021.
“Got close with Kyle, I love Kyle,” Mayfield continued. “I thought he grew a ton, just from the time when I got here to…obviously he’s not here anymore. But yeah, I wish him the best, and you never know. This is a crazy business, you never know where you can end up. And sometimes, as I know from personal experience, you just need a fresh start.”
In four seasons with the Buccaneers, Trask appeared in seven total games with zero starts. He completed four of 11 passes for 28 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Baker Mayfield’s Career Resurgence in Tampa Bay
Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask
Julio Aguilar/GettyTAMPA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 23: Baker Mayfield #6 looks on as Kyle Trask #2 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up prior to the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Mayfield referenced his own personal experience when he said Trask might benefit from a “fresh start.” In 2018, he was the No. 1 overall pick for the Cleveland Browns out of Oklahoma. He is, to this day, one of the most decorated quarterbacks in college football history, and he entered the league with substantial hype.
After starter Tyrod Taylor suffered an injury in Week 3, Mayfield entered the game for him and never looked back. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year and set a record for most passing yards by a rookie quarterback, with 3,725 (a record that would later be broken by Justin Herbert). Everyone in Cleveland loved him, and he starred in some (subjectively very funny) commercials as one of the most sought-after young quarterbacks for endorsements.
After a down season in 2019, Mayfield broke the Browns’ playoff drought in 2020 and even won a playoff game against the division-rival Steelers. However, after playing through a shoulder injury in 2021, the Browns shipped Mayfield off to the Panthers, who then subsequently sent him to the Rams midway through 2022.
With his career teetering on the brink, Mayfield landed in Tampa Bay, where he’s spent the last two season. He’s seamlessly taken over from the retired Tom Brady, leading the Bucs to back-to-back division titles. Mayfield found a new home in the NFL, and he’s got the keys to this team moving forward.
Expectations High This Year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With five straight division titles, the Buccaneers have run the NFC South for half a decade. But since they won the Super Bowl in 2020, Brady’s first season with the team, they haven’t made it back to the NFC Championship Game.
This year, the team feels that will change. And they have high expectations for themselves in a loaded NFC. It won’t be easy, but after adding some exciting free agents and young rookies, the Bucs feel they’re ready to take the step.