So far the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have nailed free agency, from bringing back Chris Godwin to signing Haason Reddick to help address a need at pass rush. Riley Dixon was also brought in to finally replace Jake Camarda which is proof of how well the Bucs did when a punter signing is being celebrated.
Dixon does have the chance to be one of the best additions of the offseason, though. Check back later in the year to see how well that take aged.
Tampa Bay seemed to hit on every level, from the top line all the way down to its move to bring in a backup quarterback behind Baker Mayfield. It’s a familiar face, as Kyle Trask is back for his fifth season with the Bucs and it’s how he was re-signed that serves as further proof of the genius leve Jason Licht’s front office operates on.
Buccaneers exploit rare salary cap loophole to re-sign Kyle Trask
Trask officially hit free agency on Wednesday when the new league year began, but he didn’t last long. Before the day was over he had a new deal to return to Tampa Bay and it’s one of the more clever moves we’ve seen a team make.
As Greg Auman pointed out after the deal was announced, the Buccaneers used a rare loophole to get Trask back on a cheaper deal than they otherwise might have. It’s a “four-year player qualifying contract” for veterans of four or more seasons, which allowed Tampa Bay to sign Trask to a $2.78 million deal that only counts $1.34 million against the cap.
That’s big for a team like the Bucs that doesn’t have a ton of financial wiggle room.
Basically, because Trask was with Tampa Bay for four uninterrupted seasons, the team was able to bring him back without having to charge the full salary amount against the cap. It’s a complicated way of saying the Bucs basically were able to use a coupon on Trask to re-sign him since he’d been with the team on the active roster for his first four seasons.
Here’s the fine print, straight from the NFL:
“Another type of veteran salary benefit, it can be offered to a player with at least four credited seasons whose contract with a team has expired after being on said team for four or more consecutive uninterrupted league years prior to his contract expiring.”
It’s one of those things that makes you appreciate how good Jason Licht and his front office crew is at their job. Tampa Bay can actually use this on two players, according to league rules, but it seems they’ll be fine just exercising the qualifying contract on Trask.
This loophole no doubt played a role in the team bringing Trask back. There were other options on the market, but rather than seek out a veteran like Taylor Heinicke, Carson Wentz, or Case Keenum, the Bucs brought Trask back to help offer up some continuity.
Being able to save some money certainly sweetened the deal, but it’s not the only reason Trask was chosen over other free agents. He knows Baker, having worked with him for two years, and is the most senior quaterback in the room when it comes to familiarity with Tampa Bay’s offense. With Josh Grizzard taking over as a first-time offensive coordinator, that’s not a bad thing to have in the room, especially considering the third quarterback is expected to be Michael Pratt.
One reason it made sense for Trask to leave was that he simply didn’t have a clear shot at a starting job in Tampa. Barring an injury to Baker there’s zero chance of Trask competing for the job, but he decided to come back anyway.
He could still earn a starting role next year, but he might be starting to settle into the very lucrative role of being a career backup. If that’s the case, his career not only in Tampa Bay but in the league might be a long and fruitful one.
For the time being, his journey with the Bucs continues for at least one more season.
More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors