Buccaneers GM addresses quarterbacks room and NFL Draft

It sounds like new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield could find himself competing with 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask and a rookie for the starting job this summer. 

"It’s the toughest position to find," Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said about quarterback during a Thursday news conference, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk, later adding that he "would not be afraid to take a quarterback — another quarterback — because you might as well have another shot at it. Maybe not this year, but maybe in the future." 

Tom Brady retired a second time and "for good" on Feb. 1 and there has been no indication he would spend another season with the Buccaneers even if he did have second thoughts this spring or summer. Licht signed Mayfield to a one-year "prove it" contract in March and Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has suggested both the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft and Trask will receive legitimate opportunities to win the starting job throughout training camp and the preseason. 

In a mailbag posted on March 30, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' website explained that salary-cap issues will likely prevent the organization from pursuing Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson while Jackson is on the non-exclusive franchise tag. That leaves the draft as Licht's next chance to acquire a noteworthy signal-caller. 

In a mock exercise shared on Thursday, NFL staff writer Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated predicted that Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Will Levis will fall to the Buccaneers at pick No. 19. To compare with a wildly different opinion, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. currently has Levis going to the Indianapolis Colts via the fourth-overall choice. 

Mayfield failed to cement himself as a long-term answer with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. Trask, meanwhile, has attempted nine career NFL regular-season passes. One couldn't blame Licht for taking a flier on any quarterback during the upcoming draft.