Buccaneers sign possible Baker Mayfield QB heir who had winding 3-team college journey

A lot of quarterbacks were drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't dip their toe into those waters.

Instead, they landed maybe the top undrafted QB available.

Late Saturday, the Bucs reached an agreement with quarterback Connor Bazelak.

Bazelak had a winding college journey that took him from Missouri to Indiana to Bowling Green.

His final season, at BGSU in 2024, was his best. He threw for 3,044 yards, 18 TDs and only five INTs. He performed well even against big opponents Penn State and Texas A&M.

Bazelak is 24 and brings loads of experience, having played 58 collegiate games.

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The Buccaneers' QB depth chart behind Baker Mayfield isn't immensely strong.

They have Kyle Trask, a one-time second-round pick who has never really shown that he'll be a quarterback answer.

They also have Michael Pratt, also once an undrafted player.

Tampa Bay of course hopes Mayfield maintains his form and his health and doesn't make the backup QB conversation a relevant one.

But if he doesn't, or if Mayfield eventually looks for different pastures, the Buccaneers would be helped by having a potential in-house answer.

Bazelak won't be a superstar, but he could potentially get the job done if needed. That's not a bad guy to land in undrafted free agency.

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