Buccaneers release promising quarterback toward end of training camp

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers almost drafted quarterback Michael Pratt in the 2024 NFL Draft, but the Green Bay Packers beat them to the punch. They ended up getting him anyway midway through last year after the Packers released him, but despite their high hopes for his development, it seems like the union might be coming to an end — for now.

Pratt, an AAC Offensive Player of the Year for the Tulane Green Wave during his college career, was looking to play in his first preseason as a Buccaneer this offseason after the team picked him up last year, but he arrived to offseason work with a lower back injury that hasn't gotten any better. The Bucs officially signed two players on Tuesday — running back Jase McClellan and cornerback JayVian Farr — and with Teddy Bridgewater arriving in Tampa Bay last week, the Buccaneers made the decision to waive Pratt to make room for the two acquisitions.

It's unfortunate news for Pratt, who threw for 9,611 yards and 90 touchdowns during his tenure at Tulane. But believe it or not, it might not spell the end for Pratt in Tampa Bay just yet.

Could the Buccaneers still retain Michael Pratt?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Michael Pratt (17) prepares to pass the ball in the second half against the Denver Broncos. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

There is a way that the Buccaneers could keep Pratt, if they really like him. But, depending on the severity of Pratt's injury, he might want to move on elsewhere.

Pratt is a non-vested veteran, meaning he hasn't had four accrued seasons of NFL play. Because of this, now that he's released, he'll head to the waiver wire and see if any team claims him from there. If a team claims Pratt on waivers, then he'll head to that team — if no team does, however, he'll go to the Buccaneers' IR. If the two teams can negotiate an injury settlement, which would give Pratt his base salary for the number of weeks the two parties believe it would take to recover from his injury, he could be officially released and free to sign with another team. If the Bucs and Pratt don't reach an injury settlement, then he will remain on IR and league rules would mandate that he stays there for the entire season.

If the Buccaneers do like Pratt a lot, they could stash him on IR for the rest of the year by not agreeing to an injury settlement, which would allow them to keep him until the next year. That would work for both parties if Pratt's lower back isn't close to getting better, but if it is, Pratt will likely want to reach an injury settlement so he can find another team to play for and possibly contribute to. In order to make a big splash, though, he'd likely want to play in preseason, and he's running out of games to do that while his back is still injured. Otherwise, he could still sign with another team, but he'd likely be relegated to a third-string role just like he had in Tampa Bay last year.

Time will tell what the Buccaneers and Pratt decide to do, but for right now, he's an unfortunate roster casualty as the Bucs look to bring in more camp bodies.

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