Just when we thought that we could piece together the Bucs roster, another surprise came out of Tampa Bay from the quarterback position. Tampa Bay is going to release quarterback Kyle Trask while putting him on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. After Trask goes on injured reserve, the Bucs and Trask will work out an injury settlement.

This means that Teddy Bridgewater becomes the backup quarterback for Tampa Bay behind Baker Mayfield.

Kyle Trask’s Tenure With Bucs

Trask was drafted by the Bucs in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the year after the team won the Super Bowl. He gained a lot of experience being the backup behind Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert for two seasons. Trask then had an opportunity to compete for the starting job with Baker Mayfield in 2023, but Mayfield won the job and Trask became the primary backup for two seasons.

He signed with Tampa Bay in free agency this offseason on a one-year deal, becoming the first quarterback in franchise history to be drafted by the team and get signed to a second contract.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: USA Today

Trask had up and down moments throughout his career in the preseason and hardly ever saw time in the regular season. The most amount of playing time he ever had was in 2022 in the second half of a Week 18 game for the Bucs against the Falcons when the Bucs already clinched the division but could not move up in the conference seeding. He went 3-of-9, throwing for 23 yards in the game.

The next time Trask had a chance to come in was in 2023 after Mayfield was injured on a first and goal play against the Colts. Trask threw one pass that was incomplete and Tampa Bay kicked a field goal. He threw another pass last season that was a five-yard completion.

There were a series of highs and lows for Trask during the 2025 preseason. He looked great against the Titans, completing 12 of his 16 passes for 129 yards in the win. However, he had a bad performance with the backups in Pittsburgh, going 3-of-10 for 19 yards and a QB rating of 39.6. Trask was able to bounce back in the third game at home against the Bills, completing 13 of his 17 attempts for 93 yards and touchdown in one half of play.

Teddy Bridgewater Becomes QB2

The quarterback competition truly came about when Teddy Bridgewater signed with the Bucs and had his first practice on August 6th. Bridgewater came to Tampa as an 11-year veteran and immediately had an impact, building chemistry with teammates and working with them after practices. He didn’t play in the first preseason game as he just arrived and only slightly got time with the whole offense in 11 on 11s just before the Bucs made the trip to Pittsburgh.

Bucs QB Teddy Bridgewater – Photo by: USA Today

Bridgewater hit it off right away with the Bucs as he completed 6 of his 11 passes in the second preseason game for 85 yards, throwing two touchdown passes. Those touchdowns were to running back Bucky Irving and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. This was also compounded by Trask’s struggles in the same game.

The plan originally was for Bridgewater to play against the Bills, but unfortunately he became extremely ill and missed the game. Trask and Conner Bazelak played, but apparently Bridgewater’s work since being on the Bucs was enough to earn him the backup job in congruency with Trask’s injury. Bazelak was cut earlier in the day and could end up on the practice squad. The organization likes how he performed during this training camp and preseason.

Could Another Team Take Kyle Trask?

Ideally, the Bucs would still like to have Trask around, but a team like the Raiders might be interested in him as their backup Aidan O’Connell will be out for a long period of time with a significant shoulder injury. Raiders general manager John Spytek was in the Bucs’ organization for several years and was on the staff that drafted Trask back then.

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

Hopefully the Bucs don’t have to see another quarterback in the game unless it’s in mop up duty or the last game of the regular season with a playoff spot clinched. It’s definitely a quarterback room that has a wealth of playing experience.