Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Kyle Trask’s next team could be obvious thanks to a Buccaneers connection

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted quarterback Kyle Trask in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but four seasons later, the Bucs are moving on — Tampa Bay is set to release Trask after an IR settlement. But where will he go next? There's one team that makes a lot of sense due to a Buccaneers connection, and it's real close to home in the NFC South.

Trask will look to find a new home sooner rather than later, and it could end up coming with the Carolina Panthers. The fit makes sense for a number of reasons, and if it were to happen, Trask would be able to face his former team twice a year.

Could Kyle Trask sign with the Carolina Panthers?

There are a few reasons this one makes sense. The biggest thing on Trask's wishlist will be a vacancy at backup quarterback, and thankfully, the Panthers do. Backup quarterback Andy Dalton is nursing an elbow injury he suffered in the preseason, leaving no one behind starting quarterback Bryce Young. The Panthers signed UFL phenom Bryce Perkins, but that's not a permanent solution. Trask could be, and it's because of his connection with the team's head coach, Dave Canales.

Bucs fans will remember that Canales was Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator when Trask was in a quarterback competition with Baker Mayfield. Canales runs a McVay-style offense he learned from Shane Waldron during his time in Seattle, and it's one that Trask has already played in. Trask would be an obvious fit in Carolina for that reason, as he could feasibly just walk into the room and already be used to most of the offense.

Finally, there's a third reason why the Panthers would want Trask — he's learned the Liam Coen/Josh Grizzard playbook that the Buccaneers employ, and that means that the Panthers could ask him anything they want about it. That advantage is always helpful against an NFC South opponent, and Canales could figure out more about that offense and help his defensive coaches scheme against it as a result.

Trask checks a lot of different boxes for the Panthers. It's unknown exactly where he'll end up as it stands, but the Buccaneers' division rival would make sense as a landing spot for the former Florida Gator.