A common theme for Bucs players on offense during OTAs, and now at the start of mandatory mini-camp, is constant side conversations after a specific play or drill. Many Bucs fans seemed to enjoy this video of the Bucs’ quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans conversing a week ago.

Bucs Players Talk It Out

On Tuesday, Baker Mayfield was also having a separate discussion with Robert Hainsey, who was starting at center with Tampa Bay limiting the reps for Ryan Jensen, who is still recovering from a knee injury this offseason. The reasons are two-fold for Mayfield. One, it’s important that everybody is on the same page, as this is his first year in Tampa. And two, he’s still in the early sessions of bonding with his teammates.

And that’s what makes him love football the most.

Bucs OC Dave Canales and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“To me, that’s the best part about football,” Mayfield said. “It’s the greatest team sport on Earth. It truly takes 11 guys doing their job and trusting everybody else to do their job to have success. You got to get to know everybody’s little intricacies, the things that wire them, that make them go, make them tick, so that’s my favorite part about it. To me, that stuff comes natural, you got to get to know your teammates and then once you’re out there, then you get to have fun. I’m truly enjoying that process right now.”

Kyle Trask, a former second-round pick now in his third season in Tampa Bay, has been going about it similarly with having constant communication with his Bucs teammates. Although he’s been with the Bucs longer than Mayfield, Trask is also at the entry level of learning Dave Canales’ new offense.

“That’s part of football,” Trask said. “You always want to have a transparent offense and always have very open communication with everybody – your center, the whole O-line, your receivers, your running backs. You want to have a very clear communication and I think that’s part of Canales’ philosophy and I think that’s something we’ve been doing a great job at.”

Both QBs Plan To Spend More Time With Bucs Teammates After Mini-Camp

When mini-camp finishes up on Thursday, the players will be off for the next month and a half before training camp begins around late July. There is a lot of downtime over those six weeks, but both quarterbacks plan to take advantage of that time by continuing to connect with teammates.

Baker Mayfield happened to bid on and win a boat party while at the Mike Evans Family Foundation Gala last weekend. He plans on using that for a certain position group – the guys that will be protecting him in a few months.

“Being around good guys is always fun,” Mayfield said. “Obviously the gala, they did a great job. I was really impressed with how they operated. I wound up bidding on a boat party, so there’s the O-line present. We’ll take a little trip with the guys out somewhere. I have no idea. It’s all about having fun. We’ll see if it fits all the O-linemen. I’ve got to see what kind of boat they’re giving out.”

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Kyle Trask is going to spend a lot of time in the city of Tampa after mini-camp concludes. His main focus is to clean everything up with his receivers, tight ends and running backs over the summer with some on-field work.

“Obviously you want to take a little bit of a break when mini-camp is done, but absolutely,” Trask said. “I’m going to spend a lot of time in Tampa, I like to just get with a small group of guys and tighten things up and make sure everything’s sharp and ready to go.”

He also clarified that he’ll also be hanging out with teammates off the field at different events as well.

“On and off the field – everything,” Trask said. “To throw for sure – but hanging out is important as well. A little bit of both.”