Breaking News: Proposed Deal Transfers Buccaneers Quarterback to NFC South Rivals
No NFL team has garnered more attention for its quarterback changes this season than the Carolina Panthers, who chose to bench their 2023 No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young, after two games in favor of veteran Andy Dalton.
This decision, made by head coach Dave Canales, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, immediately paid off. Dalton led the Panthers to their first victory of the season in Week 3, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 36-22. In that game, Dalton, a 14-year veteran, was stellar, becoming the first NFL quarterback this season to throw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Matt Holder of Bleacher Report suggested the Panthers make a trade to reunite Canales with one of his former players by acquiring Buccaneers backup quarterback Kyle Trask. This move could imply that the Panthers might trade Young, as his market value could fluctuate the longer he remains on the bench.
“It’s hard to see the Panthers returning to Young as the starter,” Holder wrote, “and they’ll need a reliable backup in case something happens to Dalton. Trask, who played under Canales last year and competed with Baker Mayfield for the Buccaneers’ starting job, already knows the offense and could potentially become the Panthers’ future quarterback.”
Trask’s Limited Performance with the Buccaneers
If the Buccaneers could trade Trask for a third- or fourth-round pick, it would likely be seen as a win for the NFC South champions.
Prior to the season, Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton ranked Trask 30th out of the 32 NFL backup quarterbacks, ahead of only Arizona’s Clayton Tune and the Rams’ Stetson Bennett. Moton noted Trask’s “minimal regular season experience” in his August 29 article.
The last time Tampa Bay had a chance to give Trask the starting role, they quickly signed Mayfield to a 1-year, $4 million deal before the 2023 season, and Mayfield easily secured the starting spot. After making the Pro Bowl in 2023, Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million contract in March 2024.
Buccaneers’ Investment in Trask
Trask, selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, has played only three games with no starts, touchdowns, or interceptions. He’s completed 3 of 10 passes for 33 yards during his limited time on the field. Trask is in the final year of his 4-year, $5.8 million rookie deal.
If Tampa Bay were to trade Trask, Michael Pratt, currently on the practice squad, would likely be promoted to the backup role behind Mayfield. Pratt, the 2023 AAC Offensive Player of the Year at Tulane, was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 7th round of the 2024 draft before being signed by the Buccaneers on August 29 after being released by the Packers.
