Jason Licht "Very Very Excited" About Kyle Trask Moving Forward
Brady enters his second retirement in as many years. Licht felt Brady was happy this his decision and would remain focused on things outside of playing in the National Football League in 2023.
The absence of Brady leaves the Buccaneers with Kyle Track as the only quarterback on the roster. Selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, he sat behind Brady without much of an opportunity to showcase himself at the next level.
“Yeah, we are very excited about Kyle,” Licht said. “Very excited about him getting the opportunity to be the starter. Would be very comfortable with that.”
The 6-foot-5 and 236-pound quarterback, over the last two seasons, has filled out his already NFL-desired frame for the position. Licht commented on how working with the strength and conditioning staff with the Buccaneers has resulted in Trask truly looking the part of an NFL quarterback.
“For him to get a chance to be with starters in the off-season,” Licht said, is going to be an enormous opportunity for Trask. “Chance with starters in training camp and preseason. Which he has never done."
Trask was second-team ALL-SEC in 2020 and won the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, annually given to the top offensive player in Division I football who exhibits the characteristics that made Campbell a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Playing three years at Florida with a 17-5 overall record, Trask went 64th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft as well as the fifth quarterback selected after five went in the first round (Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones).
Licht noted Trask’s time around Brady rubbed off on him as well as everyone else in the organization. Seeing the work ethic and commitment Brady displayed is something Licht has noticed this off-season in Tampa.
“Kyle has been around him every day for the last two years,” Licht stated about his inner action with Brady. “I think it’s rubbed off on him. Kyle, right now, is one of the players working out by himself every day. I see him out of my office. I see him out the window on the field by himself every day.”
Licht didn’t shy away from the fact that Tampa will do everything in its power to have competition and depth at every position. So, while the job is going to be handed to Trask heading into this season, the GM feels comfortable if that is the way it worked out.
“He’s accurate. He’s smart. He works hard. He has all the traits you look for in a quarterback,” Licht said. “He was a successful quarterback in the SEC, I mean, he was wildly successful. We took him in the second round for a reason. We didn’t take him in the second round to be a third-string quarterback.”
As the quarterback carousel will ramp up in the coming weeks as NFL free agency opens with the NFL Draft not long behind. Trask appears to have the confidence of the team's General Manager and the talent to back it up.
