“Fuc*’n Kyle Trask”
February 26th, 2026
One reason Joe mingles around the NFL Scouting Combine scene is the opportunity to talk to coaches and executives across the league in a more relaxed setting.
Sometimes that leads to a nugget of Bucs history.
Yesterday, Joe ran into someone with direct knowledge of the Buccaneers interviewing for their vacant offensive coordinator position in 2023, the year Byron Leftwich was fired before the season and Dave Canales eventually got the gig.
Joe did not utter the name “Kyle Trask” to this man, but the man explained to Joe with colorful language that the job was highly undesirable because the Bucs had “fuc*’n Kyle Trask” and no other quarterback on the roster. He said the Bucs, at the time, also wanted Trask to get a shot. The source explained to Joe that mulitple coordinator candidates turned down the job.
Joe was intrigued. How might Bucs history have changed, good or bad, if an offer never made its way to Canales? Heck, Panthers history would be different, too.
Trask is without a team as of now. He was a member of the Falcons practice squad last season, which means he was coached by new Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, who spoke glowingly to Joe about Trask in January.
Five years after Trask was drafted, it’s still a mystery whether he can be a starting quarterback. He’s yet to get that chance.