The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked toward the future early in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The reigning Super Bowl champions spent their second pick — the final selection of the second round — on quarterback Kyle Trask. Trask put up eye-popping numbers in his final collegiate season at Florida, for which he was named a 2020 Heisman Trophy finalist.
The Bucs, as general manager Jason Licht explained Monday on “The Rich Eisen Show,” entered the draft knowing there was a good chance they’d draft a quarterback. Licht and Co. made Tom Brady aware of such information, and the Super Bowl LV MVP took a team-first approach to the development.
“Yeah, I gave him that heads up,” Licht said, as transcribed by ProFootballTalk. “He almost responded, ‘I appreciate you for letting me know. You didn’t need to let me know, but I appreciate it. Whatever we have to do to make the team better.’ “
Not only was Brady unbothered by the Bucs’ plan to draft a QB, but he also reached out to Trask mere days after Tampa Bay selected the Gators product. Brady already was looking to set up throwing sessions with the incoming rookie.
Trask, barring injuries, will see virtually no playing time in the 2021 season. But spending at least a campaign learning under arguably the greatest quarterback ever should be invaluable for the 23-year-old.
