Buccaneers QB Predicted to Join Former OC in AFC South

One of the keys to first year Jacksonville Jaguars head coach and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen turning things around at his new job is having people around him he trusts.

That includes on the roster.

Coen might be smart to turn to longtime Buccaneers backup quarterback Kyle Trask to hop teams and become the Jaguars’ backup to former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence in 2025.

Trask is a free agent for the first time in his career. He spent his first 2 seasons as Tom Brady’s backup and the last 2 seasons as Baker Mayfield’s backup. It’s an apprenticeship that saw the starting quarterback for the Buccaneers make the Pro Bowl in 3 out of 4 seasons.

As far as mentors go, having arguably the greatest quarterback of all time and another former No. 1 overall pick in Mayfield ahead of you isn’t a bad way to go and might translate to what Coen is trying to do in Jacksonville — other than the most obvious benefit of already knowing Coen’s offensive system.

Imagine the advantage it might create for Lawrence if he has another quarterback in the room to help him learn Coen’s system on the go instead of having a backup who is learning it along with him every step of the way. That seems like a distinct advantage and a real reason to sign Trask.

Trask Missed Chance to be Tampa Bay’s Starter

For all of the opportunities Trask has had to learn from 2 of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, other than preseason games he’s gotten few opportunities to implement that knowledge in an actual game situation.

Since being drafted in the second round (No. 64 overall) of the 2021 NFL draft out of the University of Florida, Trask has only played in 7 regular-season games with no starts. In those games, he’s 4-of-11 passing for 28 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Trask seemed like he had a chance to start following Brady’s second retirement, following the 2022 season, but the Buccaneers decided to bring Mayfield in on a 1-year, $3 million “prove it” deal that he turned into a 3-year, $100 million contract in March 2024.

Trask just played the last season of the 4-year, $5.53 million contract he signed as a rookie. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that the Jaguars could get him on something close to a 1-year, $2 million contract for 2025.

Lawrence Finds NFL Career at Crossroads

The Jaguars are bringing Coen in for one very specific reason — to try and get Lawrence’s career back on track.

Lawrence became the NFL’s highest-paid player of all time when he signed a 5-year, $275 million contract in June 2024 and responded with the worst season of his professional career in almost every statistical category. He also missed a career-high 7 games, went 2-8 in the 10 games he did start and suffered 2 alarming injuries with a brutal concussion and season-ending shoulder surgery as the Jaguars finished the season 4-13.

In Lawrence’s fifth NFL season, Coen will be his third head coach. Coen follows Urban Meyer, who lasted less than one season in 2021, and Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson, who was fired on January 31 after 3 seasons and a 22-29 overall record.