For the first time in at least a decade, the Bucs are set to hold an open quarterback competition this offseason. It’ll be 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask battling it out with free agent signee Baker Mayfield, the top overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft who is looking to revive his career in Tampa.

Trask, who finally made his regular season debut in the Bucs’ 2022 season finale in Atlanta, spoke Monday about the competition that lies ahead of him. He said he’s excited to work with Mayfield as the two try to outdo each other for the right to be Tom Brady’s successor.

“This is a good opportunity for me, and a great opportunity for me to compete with someone like Baker, who’s definitely proven himself in this league,” Trask said. “So, it will be very fun to get to know him and compete with him every day. For me, I always try to be as consistent as I can. I’m always trying to build my routine, square it away as tight as I can.

“So, it’s just very important for me to really lock that in at a time like now and try to make myself as productive as possible to help this team in the end and hopefully help the overall success of this team.”

Kyle Trask And Baker Mayfield Both Looking To Overcome Doubt

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch//PR

Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield are at very different points in their careers. Trask is still in the early stages of his career, looking to establish himself and earn a chance to start for the first time in the NFL. Mayfield, on the other hand, has started 69 games in the league and won a playoff game a couple of years ago. Now, he’s on his fourth team in the last two years and is looking to revitalize his career.

Those are two different situations to be in, yet both quarterbacks share a big similarity: They both have plenty of doubt surrounding them.

There’s a lot of outside doubt that Kyle Trask can become the quarterback of the future for the Bucs. Some are convinced Tampa Bay wasted a pick on the former Florida Gator two years ago when the team was in the thick of its Super Bowl window.

For Baker Mayfield, there aren’t many who love his chances of turning his career around. The former No. 1 overall pick was shipped out of Cleveland last offseason and split the 2022 season between Carolina and Los Angeles. Now, he is on a one-year prove-it deal, looking to reestablish his value.

This is an especially unique competition, too, as new offensive coordinator Dave Canales has a completely different system to what Trask learned for two years under Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich. So, both quarterbacks are on even footing. But despite not having that edge, Trask’s focus is on finding consistency.

“I’ve just been told it’s an open competition, but at the end of the day I know that the team’s going to do what they have to do to put whoever on the field that’s going to allow our team to be the most successful,” Trask said. “For me, I feel this time I just really need to hone in and be as consistent as I can. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to do whatever I can to make this team succeed.”

Kyle Trask Wants To Draw From Experiences Of The Last Two Years

Bucs QBs Kyle Trask, Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Kyle Trask has spent two years in the NFL, and both of those years saw him sit behind Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert. As he works for his first real chance to lead the team that drafted him, he said he can draw from what he learned from Brady — the greatest of all time — and Gabbert — a longtime veteran in his own right.

“Fortunately enough, I’ve had two years of prior experience with a very veteran quarterback room, and there’s a lot to take away from that,” Trask said. “I’m going to try to implement some of those styles and routines that they had into my routine, and hopefully that will make us more successful at the end of the day.”

Trask seems aware of the doubt surrounding him. But to his credit, he’s not paying attention to it. He knows what it’s going to take to win the Bucs’ starting quarterback job, and paying attention to noise from the outside isn’t going to help.

“Kind of just piggybacking off of what I said earlier: being as consistent as I can. I guarantee you the job won’t be won if I’m thinking about outside things and different types of narratives, Trask said. “That’s not going to translate to success on the football field. I need to narrow my focus and do my best to put the team in the most successful position possible.

“And at the end of the day, just have fun and lift the ones around you, because I think when you do that, it ties the whole thing together and everybody plays better.”