NFL insiders reveal Buccaneers' thoughts on Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask

It appears that Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles is not considering benching veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield in favor of 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask anytime soon. 

"Look, they know what Kyle Trask can do. Right? They see him every day," NFL insider Jay Glazer of Fox Sports said during a recent podcast appearance, per the JoeBucsFan website. "They know what Baker Mayfield can do. So I think if they thought Kyle Trask could give us a better shot to win right now, we’d go over and do that. But I don’t think they believe that."

Trask spent his first two pro campaigns buried on the depth chart as a backup for living legend Tom Brady, and the 25-year-old has thus far attempted only nine total regular-season passes. 

It was widely thought throughout the summer that Bowles favored Mayfield after Tampa Bay signed the first pick of the 2018 draft early into this past offseason, and team insider Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan noted that "if Bucs coaches trusted Trask to lead them to the playoffs, the team never would have signed Mayfield." 

According to ESPN stats, Mayfield ended Week 9 ranked 15th in the NFL among qualified players with a 56.5 adjusted QBR on the season. Across Tampa Bay's first eight games, he tossed 12 touchdown passes and four interceptions. 

Glazer mentioned that the 3-5 Buccaneers still have a chance to make the playoffs due to the fact that they play in the lackluster NFC South. The New Orleans Saints currently sit atop the division standings at 5-4. 

"You’re still in it in the [NFC] South," Glazer said of the Buccaneers. "All you have to do is get in the dance at the end. That’s it. So, even if you have a losing record, you just have to get in it and anything can happen."

Tampa Bay next hosts the 3-5 Tennessee Titans this coming Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Buccaneers as one-point favorites over the Titans.