Todd Bowles Discusses Bucs Backup QB Dilemma

With the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine this past week and free agency starting next week, all eyes will be on what the Bucs do at numerous positions.

Will wide receiver Chris Godwin re-sign?

How will general manager Jason Licht look to revamp a defense that desperately needs it?

Those questions will be answered soon, but it is also worth asking what direction the team will look to take at quarterback. Baker Mayfield remains the franchise quarterback, but top backup Kyle Trask is a free agent.

Head coach Todd Bowles weighed in on the situation last week and what could happen should Trask depart.

Bucs Head Coach Todd Bowles Wants To See What QB Michael Pratt Can Do

The Bucs liked Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt enough to formally meet with them in Indianapolis, Indiana at the 2024 NFL Combine. Had the Packers not swooped in and taken him a pick before in the seventh round, Pratt would have likely been drafted by Tampa Bay instead. As fate would have it, he joined the team after Green Bay released him after trading for Malik Willis. At that point though, it was late August and he was behind the learning curve in former offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s offense.

While the team does not need to worry about who its starting quarterback will be in 2025, having a quality backup who can fill in when needed is necessary. All it takes is an injury at the game’s most important position to derail a season, and that’s why what happens with Kyle Trask this offseason can have an interesting ripple effect on the position room. While Todd Bowles spoke highly of Pratt at the NFL Combine this year, losing Trask would force the team to find a third quarterback.

“Pratt, we think he’s very talented,” Bowles said. “When we got him, he didn’t really have a chance to get the system down because he was playing scout team all the time. You can’t really get those plays in. Having this spring will be important for him and if we lost [Kyle] Trask we’d probably look to add one, whether it’s a younger one or an older one remains to be seen. [Someone] who can probably fit our system and learn it the best, but that’s something we’ve talked about for sure. We really want to get a chance to see what Pratt can do this spring because it’s not fair to evaluate him just playing the scout team.”

Pratt had a successful college career for the Green Wave, having improved each season. As the starter for all four years, he finished with a 60.6% completion percentage, 9,602 passing yards, 90 passing touchdowns, and 26 interceptions. In 2023, Pratt showcased his growth and efficiency by completing 65.4% of his passes for 2,406 passing yards and 22 passing touchdowns with just five interceptions.

There is a scenario where he could become the No.2 quarterback, especially with Bowles and the rest of the organization high on him and his ability to continue developing behind Mayfield.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Still, the Bucs’ 2021 second-round pick could return for another year.

Trask has not had it easy entering the league. After holding the clipboard behind Tom Brady for his final two seasons, one expected him to emerge from it ready to take the starting job from the game’s greatest quarterback – until Baker Mayfield stepped in. Having spent four seasons as a backup, he could look for a fresh start and compete to see the field.

After all, Trask has just 11 NFL passes to his name.

Bowles still likes him as a player.

“I like Trask,” Bowles added. “I think he’s a good football player. He just came behind Brady and now Baker. It’s just kind of tough to get on the field.”

What Would Happen If Kyle Trask Leaves?

In an age where several quarterbacks have seen their careers take off with new teams in their late 20s to early 30s (see Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Geno Smith), that could sway Kyle Trask enough to look for greener grass in free agency. If Trask departs, what would happen?

Do not expect the Bucs to draft a quarterback on Day 1 or Day 2 of this coming draft, but adding another Day 3 developmental signal-caller would not be a bad plan. Tampa Bay met with Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Missouri’s Brady Cook informally this year.

One has to wonder how much those meetings were to meet with them or get intel on wide receivers Tez Johnson and Luther Burden III, the top wide receivers they threw the ball to. One cannot rule out Gabriel, Cook, or another young quarterback coming in, but that does come with pause as it quickly moves Michael Pratt up the depth chart although he’s never played in an NFL game.

Cowboys QB Trey Lance – Photo by: USA Today

There are veteran names on the market to monitor. The most fun free-agent signing would be Gardner Minshew – could you imagine the dynamic between him and Mayfield? Talk about a quarterback room with some swagger and moxie.

Minshew, who was just released by the Raiders after signing a two-year, $25 million last offseason, would be significantly more expensive than Trask.

More realistically, names worth watching are Drew Lock, Trey Lance, and Joe Flacco. They would be more in line around the $4 million a year range that Trask is projected to make. The Bucs might look younger with Lock (28) and Lance (24), or if they want Pratt to continue learning, signing the 40-year-old Flacco for a year is not the worst idea to give him a mentor and someone who can still step in and start a few games.

PewterReport.com will keep tabs on this and all of the Bucs’ offseason moves as things ramp up in the coming days.