The Baker Mayfield show has gone coastal in recent seasons as he has been a starter with the Carolina Panthers, the Los Angeles Rams last year, and now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady, who finally retired after a playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys, opened the door for someone, anyone to win the starting quarterback job. Mayfield could be that guy as he looks to resurrect a career.
Baker Mayfield Hoping For Fresh Start In Tampa Bay
Mayfield did not have a very good year in 2022. Between the Panthers and Rams, he posted a record of 2-8 as a starter. He threw for 2,163 yards (29th), 10 touchdowns (tied-30th), and eight interceptions (tied-12th) during his time on the field.
Welcome to Tampa, @bakermayfield!#GoBucs
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 16, 2023
There is a lot of upside for the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner getting his shot in Tampa. Head coach Todd Bowles provides solid stability, and new offensive coordinator Dave Canales, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, has immediate buy-in from Mayfield.
“In my short-term of knowing Dave so far, just realizing who he is, how he’s going to tailor the offense to his playmakers — to me, that speaks volumes.” Courtesy of Rocky Mountain Outlook.
Canales gets a lot of credit for turning around the fortunes of Geno Smith. Smith was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year and was the recipient of a monster deal in Seattle for his turnaround in the Emerald City. Mayfield will also have offensive playmakers in receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage.
Replacing The GOAT
If there is maturity to be measured, it is how Baker Mayfield acknowledges the legend he is following. The journeyman quarterback knows that Tom Brady casts a long shadow. The GOAT won seven Super Bowls, five Super Bowl MVPs and is a member of the 2000s All-Decade team and 2010s All-Decade team.
Baker Mayfield says he’s ‘never going to be Tom Brady’ after signing with Buccaneers https://t.co/ysecp3xPxP
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 21, 2023
Despite the 2020 Super Bowl Brady helped win in Tampa, 2022 was a tough year to watch the first-ballot Hall of Famer. The Bucs lone playoff appearance against the Dallas Cowboys showed a slower quarterback who overthrew receivers and had no more magic left. The gas tank that had always fueled Brady late in a contest was on fumes, meaning his time to exit the NFL was overdue.
Mayfield is aware that despite a disappointing Bucs in 2022, those comparisons will be inevitable. He also is mature enough to make clear he is not Tom Brady, he is his own quarterback and is willing to go out and play the way he plays. For better or for worse, he is willing to play the only way he knows how.
Baker Mayfield: 2023 And Beyond
The former No. 1 overall draft pick from Oklahoma has a one-year deal worth up to $8.5 million. He knows this is a “make good” kind of deal that can either open some doors or close them in 2024.
Baker Mayfield led the Browns to their only playoff win during this span 😳 pic.twitter.com/15A8hC1mAm
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) July 8, 2022
For a career, Mayfield has thrown for 16,288 yards, 102 touchdowns and 64 interceptions over five seasons. His greatest success was with the Cleveland Browns. In 2020, he took the Browns to an 11-5 record and helped them win a playoff game. It was their first postseason appearance since 2002 and first playoff win since 1994.
Baker Mayfield has a clock ticking on his career as big as the clock on the scoreboard at Raymond James Stadium. He is the first to admit his NFL career has gone off-script. If he can turn it around in Tampa, it will be a reclamation project still in the works, but showing progress.
