When former Florida Gator QB Kyle Trask was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, it seemed like a perfect fit at the time. Trask was going to get to learn behind Tom Brady for a season or two, and then take over the reins.
But in 2023, when it was time for him to do so, the Buccaneers went out and got Baker Mayfield instead, who became the starter after a "quarterback competition."
Trask signed a one-year extension with Tampa heading into 2025 with the plan of being QB2. And despite a respectable preseason campaign, Trask met the harsh reality that if the NFL.
Kyle Trask was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN first reported that Trask is going to be released by Tampa after he does a stint on IR due to a shoulder issue.
The #Bucs plan to release quarterback Kyle Trask, per source. He will revert to IR with a shoulder issue, then work out a settlement or release soon and look for a new team.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 25, 2025
Tampa’s long-time QB2 on the move. pic.twitter.com/VWxPXCVDYp
It brings to an end a pairing with an organization that seemed to have buyer's remorse the instant they drafted the former Gator.
The knock against Trask is that he doesn't have the elite arm strength to fit passes into the tight windows that are required to survive in the NFL.
To that point, his average depth of target during preseason play over his five years with the Buccaneers was 8.9 yards, which is actually a better ADOT than guys like Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud, and Jalen Hurts had during the 2024 regular season.
But, and perhaps the impetus of not having the zip needed, his average yards per attempt across five preseasons was just 6.4 yards, and in 2025 it was 5.6 yards.
Mac Jones averaged 6.4 yards per attempt in 2024.
But his 2025 preseason is also skewed by a really bad second game, even though his preseason debut this year was excellent.
The problem is, his fate was sealed the moment Tampa went out and got Teddy Bridgewater.
Bridgewater was a super late add by the Buccaneers after he was suspended as the head coach at Miami Northwestern. He appeared in just the second game of preseason, and even though his completion percentage was just 54% he threw two touchdowns and was willing to pump the ball down the field.
By the time the third game rolled around, it was clear Trask's was going to be the odd man out when he played for a good chunk while Bridgewater sat out.
It hasn't helped Trask that seemingly every time he did get to play, his wide receivers would constantly have balls just bounce right off their hands.
But the truth of the NFL is that unless you are THE guy or THE chosen one, teams are always itching to go out and get A guy, even if he is a lateral move at best.
Who knows what happens next for Trask. Because he has never been able to actually get into a game, he doesn't have the moniker of being an "experienced backup" like Bridgewater. Teams are not going to go out of their way to sign a QB2 who is entering year five of his NFL career with 11 total regular-season attempts.
Such is life in the NFL.
There is a reason why it stands for Not For Long.