Bruce Arians believes Buccaneers are 'in good hands' with QB Kyle Trask
Tom Brady’s retirement means the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to quickly find his successor at quarterback. Former Bucs head coach turned executive Bruce Arians believes Brady’s replacement might already be in the building.
During an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" this week, Arians gave quarterback Kyle Trask a vote of confidence.
"I think we're in good hands with Kyle Trask," said Arians, a senior advisor to general manager Jason Licht. "I love Kyle, he's been there two years now. ... Blaine Gabbert was a great mentor for him. But just like three years ago, you've got to search what's behind door number two. Three years ago, we never would've guessed Tom Brady was behind door number two. So you do your research, you do all your homework, and then you decide what's best for you. But right now, I'm very comfortable if Kyle's our guy."
While Arians endorsed Trask as Brady’s heir apparent, he did leave the door wide open for another quarterback to assume the role – and for a valid reason.
Trask is unproven in the NFL. He has been inactive for the majority of his career since entering the league as a 2021 second-round pick. He’s only appeared in one game, which was Week 18 of the 2022 season. He completed 3 of 9 passes for 23 yards in Tampa Bay’s regular season finale.
Free agency will include multiple veteran signal callers such as Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, Sam Darnold, Teddy Bridgewater and Baker Mayfield. The Bucs also own the 19th overall pick in this year’s NFL draft.
If Trask is indeed the next quarterback in line, he has gigantic shoes to fill. Brady has more Super Bowl rings (seven) than Trask has career completions (three).
"A guy that worked his ass off to get to where he's at," Arians said of Trask. "And he's worked extremely hard every single day. He's got all the size, he's got the arm, he's got the stature of what we like. And he's mobile. Now, he's not a burner, but he's mobile enough to do some things. Looking at all the young quarterbacks today, he's not 4.5(-second) Jalen Hurts-type of guy, but he can do a lot of things that help us win, especially with the players around him."
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bruce Arians believes Bucs are 'in good hands' with QB Kyle Trask
