Baker Mayfield is the betting favorite to win the starting job in Tampa Bay, but the Bucs are giving Kyle Trask every chance to prove everybody wrong.
The Bucs are taking their time declaring the starting quarterback for the season opener against the Vikings.
“Some time during camp or right after there will be a decision made,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said, via Fred Goodall of the Associated Press. “It’s still a competition right now. We’re not going to award [anybody] in shorts and T-shirts. In any competition, there’s waiting involved. You have to see who wins.”
It will come as an upset if Mayfield isn’t the quarterback to replace Tom Brady.
Mayfield, 28, was the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 and has 69 career starts, 16,288 passing yards and 102 touchdowns in five NFL seasons. Mayfield also has playoff experience.
Trask, 25, has attempted only nine passes since the Bucs made him a second-round pick in 2021.
Bowles said he is unconcerned about whether the eventual starter will get enough time working with the first-team offense before the season opener, a decision Mayfield is “comfortable” with.
“The quarterback’s job is to make sure everybody gets on the same page and make sure we breathe that confidence throughout the whole team,” Mayfield said. “I feel good with where I am at right now, but there is obviously always room to improve.”
