Buccaneers have already decided on Week 1 starting QB?

Jun 9, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles participates in a press conference during mandatory mini camp at AdventHealth Training Center Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have supposedly been holding an open quarterback competition this offseason, but it sounds like the team has already decided on a replacement for Tom Brady.

Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com said on the latest episode of his podcast that it would be a huge shock if Baker Mayfield does not start for Tampa Bay in Week 1.

Kaufman said he was “told pointedly and without much doubt” that Mayfield will start over Kyle Trask when the Bucs travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings on Sept. 10.

“That’s what I was told. With all due respect to Trask, who has had a good training camp and Mayfield’s struggled a bit, Mayfield’s getting the ball in Minneapolis,” Kaufman said. “There’s still some people out there that (think) because Trask might be (outplaying Mayfield) that Bowles has to go with the better man in training camp and preseason — ‘What if Trask looks better than Mayfield? Is he not going to go with Trask?’ Well, my information is it’s probably a lost cause for Kyle Trask.”

Kaufman added that he was told “in a definitive manner” that the job belongs to Mayfield regardless of how things go over the next month.

There have been some troubling reports about Mayfield’s play in training camp, but head coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Dave Canales must believe in the former No. 1 overall pick. The bigger question might be how long Mayfield can keep the job now that he has (unofficially) secured it.