Kyle Trask
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Kyle Trask is being released by the Bucs after four years as the team's backup QB
After four years as the team’s backup quarterback, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are releasing Kyle Trask. The former second-round pick is currently dealing with a shoulder injury, and wasn’t able to maintain his role with the team.
Reports show that Trask will report to Injured Reserve initially, to work through his shoulder issue, then he and the Buccaneers will work out a settlement or release soon and he will look for a new team.
Trask started the first and third games of the preseason for the Buccaneers, coming off the bench in Week 2. The 27-year-old completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 241 yards passing with one touchdown across the three games, adding on 16 rushing yards.
Playing Time Was Hard to Come by for Trask
Entering the league with Tom Brady ahead of him on the depth chart, the thought was that Kyle Trask could be the future at quarterback after the legend’s retirement. Plans didn’t go according to plan for the former Florida Gator, who still has yet to start a game outside of the preseason.
As a former second-round pick, Trask has the upside to be a starter in the NFL, but the Buccaneers aren’t the team where it’ll happen. After signing Baker Mayfield to his three-year deal in 2024, the opportunity to start outside of an injury was pretty much out of the question.
As a starter in college, Trask showed he was capable of leading an SEC offense, totaling 4,283 passing yards with 43 touchdowns during his senior season. His huge season left him in fourth place in Heisman voting back in 2020.
Trask did appear in seven games across his four-year Buccaneers career, in a very small sample size. The 27-year-old only threw 11 total passes, completing four of them for just 28 yards through the air.
After his rookie contract came to an end at the conclusion of the 2024 season, Tampa Bay brought Trask back on a one-year, $2,787,500 contract. The contract came with a dead cap value of $1,337,500.
The Buccaneers Have Moved on to a Different Backup
With the release of Kyle Trask, veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is in line to be Tampa Bay’s backup quarterback behind Mayfield. The 32-year-old signed a one-year, $1,255,000 contract this offseason, and impressed the Buccaneers enough to earn the backup job.
The veteran hasn’t attempted a pass in an NFL game since the 2022 season, but has a plethora of experience as both a starter and a backup for various teams around the league. With 65 total starts across 10 seasons in the NFL, Bridgewater should be ready to take over if needed.
It seems the Buccaneers are confident in Bridgewater’s return to the NFL, considering they aren’t keeping a third signal caller on the 53-man roster. The 32-year-old had previously retired to begin a career in coaching, but decided to come out of retirement for the opportunity to play in Tampa Bay.
Bridgewater has only been with the Buccaneers since August 5, but apparently has ties to the team going way back to before Brady’s signing. The organization finally found the right time to bring him into the building, and he’ll now be the team’s lone backup.