Former Buccaneers QB Could Get Another Chance With AFC Contender

The steep drop for former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask came in the 2025 preseason, and seemed to come completely out of nowhere.

For the previous 4 seasons, Trask, a 2021 second round pick, had dutifully served as the backup to a string of Pro Bowl quarterbacks. First, 2 seasons behind 3-time NFL MVP Tom Brady followed 2 seasons behind current NFL MVP favorite Baker Mayfield.

Even with all of that, it’s been evident for some time that Trask was never going to be a starter for the Buccaneers. In the end, the powers that be thought he wasn’t even good enough to be Mayfield’s backup, releasing Trask on August 26 in favor of longtime veteran Teddy Bridgewater.

It was perhaps the most shocking personnel move of the offseason for the Buccaneers, who seemed to show their faith in Trask when they signed him to a 1-year, $2.78 million contract in March 2025.

Now, Trask might be getting another chance with an AFC contender in the upstart Indianapolis Colts, who find themselves looking for a new backup quarterback after a surprising, 5-1 start to the regular season.

“Colts worked out 4 QBs after Anthony Richardson landed on IR: Jeff Driskel, Jaren Hall, Tanner Mordecai and Kyle Trask,” the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero wrote on his official X account on October 14. 

Colts First Round Pick on IR After Bizarre Injury

The Colts made one of the worst first round picks in recent memory when they selected Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft after just 13 college starts and a 6-7 overall record.

Richardson was a spectacular flameout in his first 2 seasons — including one of the more bizarre starting QB moments in memory — and ultimately lost his job to free agent quarterback Daniel Jones before this season.

In another moment to add to Richardson’s bizarre career arc, he injured his eye warming up with elastic bands before a Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals and ended up on injured reserve .

And that’s why the Colts find themselves looking for a backup quarterback.

Bringing Back Trask Didn’t Make Sense

Even before his release, NFL insiders were questioning why the Buccaneers would bring back Trask for another season.

ESPN’s Ben Solak called the Buccaneers bringing Trask back as their No. 2 quarterback the team’s worst offseason move.

“I prefer my contending teams to take QB2 a little more seriously,” Solak wrote on March 26. “Trask has attempted exactly 11 passes in NFL action (and completed four of them, for as much as that matters). What happens if Baker Mayfield goes down for a month while the 7-4 Buccaneers are in the thick of the NFC South race? Do they really trust Trask to go 2-2 and keep them on a playoff pace? They’d know better than me, as I have only 11 Trask passes to consider. Far more experienced QB2s were available, though, and I hope the Bucs don’t find themselves wishing they looked elsewhere to bolster the position.”

The best opportunity for the Buccaneers to find a viable backup would have probably been in the 2025 NFL draft, where they elected to not take a quarterback.

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