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If anyone is going to be the starting QB for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023, they’re going to have to work for it.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles echoed that statement in an interview with Rich Eisen on the Rich Eisen Show on Monday, as the coach discussed the starting QB competition between QB Baker Mayfield and QB Kyle Trask.
Bowles reminisced on his time with the New York Jets, and explained to Eisen that he liked Mayfield as a prospect when he had met him in Oklahoma while doing is due diligence for the 2018 NFL draft when his Jets team picked third.
“I thought he was a heck of a player,” Bowles said. “I had spent some time with him down there in Oklahoma, we hit it off pretty good that way. I thought Baker was one of the few people that had the mental fortitude to actually [play] in New York… you can’t just have anybody play in New York. Certain people have to be tough-minded — I thought Baker was one of those guys.”
Despite the praise, Bowles reiterated to Eisen that Mayfield will have to earn the starting job from Bucs QB Kyle Trask.
“We don’t have a starter right now,” Bowles said. “We know Baker has played in games and Trask has not, but we’ve watched Trask over the years and we like some of the things he does, and we’re going to give him the chance to play and compete and see who comes out. We told Baker this coming in — it’s not anything new that he doesn’t know.”
Finally, Bowles talked about what he is looking for in his starting QB for 2023.
“Obviously, the practice is important. The communications of the guys, the leadership in the huddle, accuracy. You gotta make plays of course in this league to win ballgames, and who commands the huddle and who the team runs behind more, they give you the best chance to win — and that’ll be sorted out over time.”
Check out the full interview clip below: