Will The Bucs Have A Backup QB Battle In 2025?

It doesn’t seem like the 2023 starting quarterback battle between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask was all that long ago. But two years later, Mayfield is firmly entrenched as the Bucs’ starter, and there was a time when it seemed uncertain whether Trask would be back in 2025 after the expiration of his rookie contract.

But Tampa Bay did re-sign Trask this offseason to a one-year deal. He has just 11 career regular season pass attempts in four years, but the Bucs are happy to have their 2021 second-round pick back for another season.

Asked at the NFL Annual Meeting why the team decided to re-sign the former Florida Gator this offseason, general manager Jason Licht had plenty to say about the decision.

“Because we really like Kyle,” Licht said. “We know Kyle better than anybody. A couple years ago, there was a quarterback battle, and he did very well. Just because he doesn’t have the experience doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s not the right person. Some quarterbacks that have experience getting thrown into the fire because the starter went down, they get a lot of money because they have the experience.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean they played well. Kyle just hasn’t had the game-time experience. I think if he ever did, we’d be talking a different situation. We’re very excited about him and glad that he’s back with us.”

That 2023 battle with Mayfield was the closest chance Trask has had to become “the guy.” He was drafted in 2021 and with Tom Brady not missing a start over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, there was never much of a chance for him to play other than late in Week 18 of the 2022 season.

From there, Mayfield hasn’t missed a start since beating Trask for the starting job ahead of the 2023 season. Trask played sparingly in 2023 and 2024, appearing in six games while only attempting two passes.

Could Michael Pratt Challenge Kyle Trask For The Bucs’ QB2 Job?

Bucs QB Michael Pratt – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While Kyle Trask is back in the fold for 2025 and has served as Baker Mayfield’s backup for the last two seasons, he’s still only on a one-year deal and could face competition for the No. 2 role behind Mayfield. The Bucs are high on former Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt, who replaced John Wolford in the team’s No. 3 role last year and is currently slotted to hold that spot again heading into the 2025 offseason.

Tampa Bay was high on Pratt ahead of the 2024 Draft and had met with him formally at the NFL Scouting Combine. He was drafted one pick ahead of where the Bucs were in the seventh round, and the team went on to select tight end Devin Culp.

It all worked out in the end, though, as Jason Licht would end up with both players. The Packers released Pratt during final roster cuts last August and Licht jumped at the opportunity to bring in the former Tulane quarterback who went 21-3 as a starter over his final two seasons with the Green Wave.

Pratt was 23-of-35 (65.7%) for 178 yards and one touchdown to one interception during his preseason with Green Bay last year. This year, he’ll obviously have a full offseason with the Bucs and will be in the room with Mayfield and Trask as they transition to an offense run by new coordinator Josh Grizzard, who was the team’s passing game coordinator in 2024.

While there hasn’t been any direct sign that Trask’s QB2 role is in jeopardy, head coach Todd Bowles always says that spots aren’t given and have to be earned. He was asked about Pratt at the 2025 NFL Annual Meeting this week, and went on to say the next few months will be very important for the 23-year-old.

“Well, we knew he had an arm,” Bowles said. “It’s unfair to judge him at this point because all he did was scout team, so this spring will be big for him. This spring and this summer, the practices and the preseason games will be big and we’ll find out what we have. We’re not sure what we have right now.”