Kyle Trask Opens Up on Quarterback Battle with Baker Mayfield
While he hasn't done much with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early in his professional career, former second-round pick Kyle Trask has an opportunity to make a splash in 2023. After backing up future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady over the last two years, he's looking to step into a big role with the latter moving away from the game.
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Last month, the Buccaneers signed veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield to a one-year deal to bulk up the quarterback room. At this point, Trask and Mayfield are the only two signal-callers under contract but General Manager Jason Licht hasn't ruled out making another addition during the upcoming NFL Draft.
On Monday, Trask spoke to the media for the first time since Mayfield's addition and opened up on the quarterback battle. He's looking forward to the competition and believes that both players will bring the best out of one another.
"This is a good opportunity for me, and a great opportunity for me to compete with someone like Baker [Mayfield], who's definitely proven himself in this league. So, it will be very fun to get to know him and compete with him every day," Trask said. "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."
Though he didn't play much over the last two years, Trask had the benefit of watching how Brady and veteran backup Blaine Gabbert prepared. He's adopting some of those own habits as he gets ready to work with new offensive coordinator Dave Canales. Trask says he's going to do what ever he can to try and help the Buccaneers achieve success.
"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. 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. 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."
The former Florida Gators star believes that consistency will be important in his quest to win the starting job. He's trying to stay focused on the things he can control ahead of a pivotal campaign that could decide his future with the franchise.
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"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."
Trask has a long way to go to prove himself at the NFL level but there's no better time to rise to the occasion than right now. With the Buccaneers in need of a new starting quarterback, he might end up developing into the man for the job depending on how his game progresses this offseason.
It's important to remember that Trask was extremely productive in Gainesville, throwing for 4,283 yards and 43 touchdowns in 2020. His time learning behind Brady could be paramount as he tries to hold off Mayfield for the starting job.
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