Why the Buccaneers have to start Kyle Trask at quarterback in 2022

The Buccaneers should see the value they get from starting Kyle Trask over Blaine Gabbert.

All of this assumes the Buccaneers will fail to land any of the big-name quarterbacks this offseason. Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Deshaun Watson aren’t really attainable anyway, the free agent market isn’t strong, and the Bucs aren’t drafting a rookie QB in this class.

The football gods may smile on the Bucs and they luck their way into an impossible situation to salvage the 2022 season, but it doesn’t seem likely. However, there is plenty of time.

Still, let’s look at this realistically; the Buccaneers probably stay in-house for their next starting quarterback.

First things first, accepting this reality is accepting that Tampa is not competing for a Super Bowl in 2022. Gabbert certainly isn’t the guy to get the Bucs to the big game after seeing Jimmy Garoppolo fail to make it (but hey, QB wins, right?) and a first-year starter in Trask also isn’t going to cut it.

This is where things get difficult to accept.

If the Bucs are starting Gabbert, they shouldn’t actually hope for the team to win games. The NFC South is a wash. The Bucs should be able to win the division with Vita Vea at quarterback, but that isn’t saying much.  A team with a losing record could probably win the division, so this isn’t really a boon at all.

The Buccaneers would be hoping, at best, to win the division with Gabbert and try their best not to get blown out in the Wild Card round by a team from the NFC West.

“Just being happy to make the playoffs” is loser speak. Act like you’ve been there before. We are one full year out from winning a Super Bowl and people already speaking about slinking into the playoffs as something to celebrate. Should the winner of the NFC East celebrate winning the worst division in football every year? How well is that working out in the quest to win a Super Bowl?

I could give a damn about just being there.  Winners always want to win when it counts. Gabbert isn’t a winner, hasn’t been a winner at any point in his career, and there is absolutely no backing to the fact that he has turned a corner sitting under Brady.

The NFL is a race to getting a top-12 quarterback. Gabbert sure as hell isn’t that player, and him playing only pushes the Bucs further away from getting that guy in the draft.

Kyle Trask, on the other hand, is a different story.

Despite the uncertainty of Trask as a rookie, he at least pushes the franchise forward. If he plays well, the Bucs have their new quarterback of the future on a rookie deal for three more seasons. Build around him and win.

If Trask fails, the Bucs will lose a lot of games, and that puts them in draft position to take a guy like Bryce Young next year.

Either way, at least the Buccaneers could show why they felt the need to use a second-round pick on Trask in the first place.

Winners know when to make the hard decisions. In this case, a winner knows that losses are coming either way, so the best losses to take are at least the ones that give the team draft position.

It’s not a coincidence that Tampa’s worst draft in years came after winning the Super Bowl.

Feel it out with Trask (you know, the guy you drafted in the second round to replace Brady) and reap the benefits either way. Or, you can let it ride with Gabbert to save face and take the coward’s way out.

Gabbert leads to Purgatory. Just ask teams like the Vikings how much they enjoy that position. But at least you made the playoffs. Right? They’re just happy to be there!

The Bucs can always do better. It’s just time to realize that the smartest decision is also the hardest one.

Give Kyle Trask his chance.

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