Kyle Pitts makes his case for Tom Brady's replacement in Tampa Bay
Now that Tom Brady’s retirement is official, the focus is turning to his potential replacement in Tampa. The Buccaneers, just a year removed from a Super Bowl title, look to continue the success Brady brought them in his two seasons. Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts weighed in with his emphatic endorsement of his former teammate Kyle Trask.
“Kyle Trask .. that’s all,” Pitts tweeted on Tuesday.
The Kyle-to-Kyle connection at the University of Florida was hard to stop. They connected for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2020. Naturally, Pitts wants to see his former QB1 shine for the Buccaneers now that his time has arrived.
Pitts was one of four rookie selections for this year’s Pro Bowl. He finished the year ranked 25th in the NFL with 847 receiving yards and 19th with 14.6 yards per reception.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Trask with the 64th overall selection in the NFL Draft – high enough to suggest big plans for his future with the team.
Although Tom Brady hasn’t endorsed Trask as his successor in Tampa Bay, he thought highly of him early in the season.
“Kyle’s done a great job from the day that he got here. He’s a very hard worker,” Brady said, per ProFootballTalk. “Kyle’s out here early, stays late, works with the younger guys. All the things you’re really looking for in a young player. This has got to be a huge priority in your life if you want to be doing this job for a long time. You’ve got to make it a huge priority.”
Trask hasn’t made his regular-season debut for the Bucs yet but threw his first touchdown in the final game of the preseason. The rookie went 12 of 14 passes for 146 yards and the touchdown.
Tom Brady officially announces retirement
The winningest quarterback in NFL history announced his retirement after 22 seasons in the league on Tuesday.
Brady made his announcement via Instagram, coupled with a lengthy statement on his retirement.
“I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition — if a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed…This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time for me to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention,” his statement read, in part.
“I’ve done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.”
Brady, 44, went in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. The Patriots used the 199th-overall pick to select the future first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee.
What ensued was the greatest career of any quarterback in NFL history. Over the course of his 22-year NFL career, Brady threw for 84,520 passing yards, the most in NFL history, and 624 passing touchdowns, also the most in NFL history. He went to 10 Super Bowls, winning seven – six with New England, one with Tampa Bay.