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- With Tom Brady riding off into the sunset, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need a quarterback.
- As of right now, there is one quarterback seemingly in line to earn the starting role and head coach Bruce Arians is high on his guy.
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The general consensus is that Tom Brady will not unretire from the NFL. At 44 years old, it does not appear as though the greatest of all-time will be returning to the Buccaneers in 2022.
As a result, Tampa Bay needs a quarterback. There are a few options:
- Sign Brady’s replacement in free agency, perhaps even bringing back Jameis Winston.
- Hand the keys over to backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
- Turn to the future and give second-year quarterback Kyle Trask his first taste of the NFL.
All three options are in play, as well as the off-chance of Brady returning to the Bucs. Should that happen, head coach Bruce Arians has made it very clear that the organization will not let him play anywhere else and that it would cost a very, very high price to acquire TB12 in a trade.
Assuming that Brady will not be back in pads this fall, Arians gave high praise for the quarterback who he says has a “great shot” at being the starter in 2022.
That would be Kyle Trask.
With the NFL Combine underway and NFL Draft on the horizon, Arians does not think that his team will be drafting a quarterback because they took the former Florida Gator last year. Trask, who was selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, stands 6-foot-5, 236 pounds.
In his final two seasons at Florida, he accumulated more than 7,000 yards passing with 68 touchdowns through the air and only 15 interceptions. His senior season, although the Gators went 8-4, was his best.
According to Arians, Trask will have a legitimate chance to earn the starting role.
“Kyle’s going to get a very great shot,” said Arians. “He’s earned his shot. Like I said, I really am impressed with the way he improved the things he needed to. When he was running the scout team, [he had] presence in the pocket, movement in the pocket, all those little things on and off the field that Tom taught him. Leaning out [his frame], getting a little quicker. So yeah, he can throw it; it’s a matter of, does he turn it over?”
Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht agrees.
“I definitely think he’s got a chance,” said General Manager Jason Licht. “He’s shown all the signs that it’s pointing that way, with his intelligence, his ability to pick up the offense, his work ethic, the way he absorbs information and retains information, and the way he throws the ball. This year, he’s changed his body a little bit. He’s surprising athletic out there, moreso than he was coming off his senior year at Florida.”
In a recent interview at the NFL Combine, Arians gave high praise for Trask. He says that “behind door No. 1” is starting Trask.
“We drafted Kyle Trask No. 2 for a reason,” he said. ‘He fits everything we want to do as a quarterback, and I really liked what I saw for a year. So I doubt draft day is an option.”
Should the team choose to look behind door No. 2, Arians says that the veteran quarterback market may not be an option.
“For all the other guys, it’s got to be a trade, and you don’t trade by yourself,” he said. “You’ve got to have a partner, so that could be out of the question.”
There is a lot of time between today and Week 1 of the NFL season. However, as of right now, it seems like Trask is in line to take over for the G.O.A.T.