Buccaneers quarterback battle heats up at start of training camp

Mayfield and Trask, the favorites for job, appeared to receive equal treatment in drills. Both got their fair share in snaps and rotated with starting center Ryan Jensen.

The quarterback workouts included everything from footwork drills to pocket scrambling to a non-contact scrimmage. Both players looked quick on their feet, a stark change from Tom Brady — who finished last season with a negative rushing yard. 

Licht said the Bucs will be "hyper-focused" on how the QBs perform in coming weeks, noting it's the first true QB competition since he became GM nearly a decade ago, relays Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud.

When Chris Godwin was asked about the differences between Mayfield and Trask, the veteran receiver said Mayfield has "a chip on his shoulder," while Trask is a bit more "laid back." He concluded that he didn't think one was better than the other.

The Bucs signed Mayfield to a one-year, $4-million deal this offseason. The former Heisman Trophy winner has bounced around teams since the Cleveland Browns took him No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. 

Trask has yet to make his regular-season debut after riding the bench behind Brady since being drafted in 2021.

The uncertainty surrounding the starting job already has Tampa Bay fans in a frenzy. And with training camp footage surfacing, they're already overanalyzing everything from Mayfield wearing a hoodie to Trask being excluded in a laugh with Mike Evans.