5 Things Baker Mayfield Brings To The Bucs

Tampa Bay wanted an experienced veteran to come in and compete with Kyle Trask for the starting job. With 69 starts and playing in 72 games, Baker Mayfield has plenty of experience to enter training camp as the favorite to win the starting job. Mayfield was 29-30 as a starter in Cleveland, highlighted by an 11-5 record and a long-awaited playoff berth in 2020. After beating Pittsburgh in the playoffs, Cleveland lost in the next round to eventual AFC champion Kansas City.

Despite limited playoff experience, Mayfield at least has a postseason win, and is 1-1 in the playoffs. That’s better than any other quarterback in the NFC South. New Orleans’ new quarterback, Derek Carr, is 0-1 in the playoffs.

Carolina will draft a quarterback with the first overall pick, but did sign veteran Andy Dalton to be the backup. Dalton is 0-4 in the postseason. Taylor Heinicke will compete for the starting job in Atlanta with Desmond Ridder, last year’s third-round pick. Heinicke is 0-1 in the playoffs thanks to a first-round loss to the Bucs in 2020.

Former No. 1 Pick Has Swagger

It’s hard for any quarterback to come in and follow Tom Brady – the greatest to ever play the position. There would be plenty of pressure on anyone who is stepping in to Brady’s shoes in Tampa Bay. But Baker Mayfield has plenty of swagger and that won’t bother him. He’s used to pressure playing at a national power like Oklahoma, winning a Heisman Trophy and then being the first overall pick in 2018. Mayfield is using to being in the media spotlight and it doesn’t faze him.

In addition to star power and immense talent, Brady bought confidence and some swagger to Tampa Bay. He brought a sense of belief that the Bucs could – and would – win.

Mayfield’s kind of swagger is different than Brady’s. It remains to be seen if he can inspire others to raise their level of play like Brady could. But Mayfield has plenty of self-confidence, which is a necessary trait to play quarterback successfully at any level. Mayfield can be a polarizing figure amongst fans, but there is no doubting his swagger.

Not only did Tom Brady help deliver a Super Bowl championship in 2020 and two division titles over the last two seasons, Brady also brought the national spotlight to Tampa Bay. Or should we say “Champa Bay?” The Bucs went from being irrelevant to a media darling with Brady in the building. Brady helped make the Bucs popular and cool, and Tampa Bay was all over the networks’ prime time schedules.

Baker Mayfield isn’t as popular as Brady is. Few are. But Mayfield should help get the Bucs an extra primetime game or two. Whether that’s three or four remains to be seen, but Tampa Bay will have more national TV games with Mayfield than they would with Jacoby Brissett and Kyle Trask. The Glazers love how relevant the Bucs became in the Brady era, and I think they’re excited to see what type of buzz Mayfield can generate nationally, as well as locally.

He’s Still A Young Gun With Upside

Perhaps most importantly, Baker Mayfield is still a young quarterback. He’s entering his sixth year in the league and only turns 28 next month. With quarterbacks playing at a high level well into their 30s, Mayfield could have anywhere from six to eight years of good NFL play left in him – depending on his health and performance. It might be wishful thinking, but if Mayfield can master Dave Canales’ offense and have success in Tampa Bay, he could be a long-term option for the team. And a better option than the risks associated with drafting a rookie QB in 2024.

Kyle Trask just turned 25 years old, so the Bucs have two young quarterbacks that are vying to be the long-term solution in Tampa Bay. All the Bucs need is one of them to pan out. Historically, the team has had more success with free agent quarterbacks than draft picks. The only problem has been getting those veteran QBs later in their careers, so their shelf life in red and pewter is minimal.

Brian Griese was 29 when he came to Tampa Bay and helped the Bucs win the NFC South title in 2005, but only played two years for the team. Brad Johnson was 33 when he came to Tampa Bay. Johnson was 34 years old when he helped win Super Bowl XXXVII, but was only in Tampa Bay for four seasons. Jeff Garcia was 37 when he became a Buccaneer and won the NFC South title in 2007, yet was only in red and pewter for a pair of seasons. And of course Tom Brady was 43 when the Bucs won Super Bowl LV and played three years in Tampa Bay,

Baker Mayfield Has A Chip On His Shoulder

Baker Mayfield is joining his fourth team in the span of two years. That’s not ideal for any NFL player – let alone a former No. 1 overall draft pick. When a quarterback goes from one team to the next within the same season, as Mayfield did from Carolina to Los Angeles last year after being traded away by Cleveland that earns the “journeyman” label.

Mayfield knows that his next stop somewhere will be as a career backup in the Jameis Winston/Andy Dalton mold unless he can prove that he’s still a quality starter – this time in Tampa Bay. It’s been a bit of a fall from grace for the top pick in the 2018 draft. The Browns opted for acquiring Deshaun Watson and his sordid past in a trade over keeping Mayfield, despite the No. 1 pick the team invested in him.

Mayfield was knocked because of his small stature and less-than-ideal hand size coming into the NFL. And he’s played with a chip on his shoulder since his days at Oklahoma. Now that chip has gotten even bigger as he begins playing for his fourth NFL team. That big chip could very well benefit Mayfield and the Bucs in 2022 if he wins the starting job and has success in Dave Canales’ offense.