The post-Tom Brady era for the Buccaneers will begin with a former No. 1 pick under center.
Ex-Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is set to succeed Brady when the Buccaneers open the season on the road Sept. 10 against the Vikings, according to JoeBucsFan.com.
Mayfield “without much doubt” will start over Kyle Trask, Ira Kaufman said on his podcast.
“Mayfield’s getting the ball in Minneapolis,” said Kaufman, who added he was told this news “pointedly” and in a “definitive manner.”
“There’s still some people out there that think because Trask might be winning this competition – in quotes – that (Buccaneers head coach Todd) Bowles has to go with the better man in training camp and preseason. ‘What if Trask looks better than Mayfield? Is he not going to go with Trask?’ My information is it’s probably a lost cause for Kyle Trask.”
It’s not surprising the Buccaneers are going with Mayfield after signing him to a one-year contract worth up to $8.5 million with a base of $4 million.
You can usually follow the money in sports.
Mayfield also has a track record, even winning a playoff game with the Browns in 2021.
The No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft split last season between the Panthers and Rams.
Trask, a second-round pick in 2021, has appeared in just one NFL game and served as the Buccaneers’ No. 3 quarterback the past two seasons behind Brady and Blaine Gabbert.
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales recently said the quarterback competition had gotten tighter, but that may have just been coach speak.
Mayfield has struggled with interceptions during camp, an issue that has plagued him during his career (64 picks in 72 games), but that apparently won’t make a difference.
The Oklahoma product will start Friday’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Trask will start the second preseason game Aug. 19 against the New York Jets.
Even if Mayfield starts the opener, there’s no guarantee Trask may not replace him at some point.
Mayfield is only on a one-year deal and it’s possible that if the Buccaneers – whose +15000 Super Bowl future odds are tied for the third-worst at BetMGM – struggle, they could potentially tank for a shot at one of the elite quarterbacks in the 2024 draft class.
