Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said on Friday he doesn't believe signal-caller Tom Brady is "worried about anybody taking his job" after the Bucs selected quarterback Kyle Trask with the 64th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk, Licht said:
"Oh, I think it'll go very smooth. Tom's the ultimate team guy, and I don't think Tom is worried about anybody taking his job. We had some casual conversations throughout the past few weeks of if a scenario might come up where we could take a quarterback. I don't have many conversations with Tom about the draft, but he was totally fine. He understands. He wants what's best for the team.
"Tom's gonna play as long as Tom wants to play. He's earned that right."
Brady led the Bucs to a Super Bowl win in his first year in Tampa Bay. The 43-year-old has now won seven Super Bowls in his career after winning six with the New England Patriots.
Brady completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 40 touchdowns (12 interceptions) and 7.6 yards per pass attempt. He finished ninth in quarterback rating and ESPN's QBR statistic as well.
Brady may be 44 years old by the time next season rolls around, but he didn't show any signs of slowing down last year. Unless his game magically falls off a cliff, chances are he'll still be a productive signal-caller for the defending Super Bowl champion Bucs, who return all 22 starters for 2021.
The 21-year NFL veteran signed a one-year extension this offseason and is currently signed through 2022. The pressure is off Trask for the time being, but he's obviously the top choice to take over for Brady someday.
The B/R NFL Scouting Department ranked him as the sixth-best quarterback in the draft and the No. 117 prospect overall. Coincidentally, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared him to ex-Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson, who was under center for the team when they won Super Bowl XXXVII to cap the 2002 season.
Trask doesn't have the apparent upside of other signal-callers drafted before him, but he's still a talented quarterback with potential to have a long NFL career. Perhaps that will take place in Tampa Bay, but that's likely not happening until Brady decides he's done.
