Report: Bucs To Target Baker Mayfield In Free Agency

Baker Mayfield was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 Draft before spending the first four seasons of his career with the Browns. His best season came in 2020, when he threw for 3,563 yards and 26 touchdowns to eight interceptions as he led Cleveland to its first playoff appearance since 2002. He also led the Browns to their first postseason win since 1994.

However, just a year later, Cleveland gave up on Mayfield after a shaky, injury-riddled 2021 season. The Browns traded for Deshaun Watson and gave him a massive contract, spelling the end for the former Oklahoma Sooner in Cleveland. He was traded to the Panthers, where he never really got off the ground.

After requesting his release from Carolina last season, Mayfield went on to fill in for Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles. His biggest moment came just days after arriving, as he was thrown into a Thursday Night Football game with little time to adapt to his new offense. Despite that, he led the Rams to a come-from-behind win in the closing minutes. In four starts with Los Angeles, Mayfield completed 63.6% of his passes for 850 yards and four touchdowns to two interceptions.

For his career, Baker Mayfield has completed 61.4% of his passes for 16,288 yards and 102 touchdowns to 64 interceptions. He has a 31-38 record in his career as a starter, but has plenty of experience and a playoff win under his belt.

What Makes Baker Mayfield A Fit For The Bucs?

The Bucs hired new offensive coordinator Dave Canales this offseason, replacing Byron Leftwich after he called the plays for the last four years.

Canales spoke at length during his introductory press conference about making things easy on his quarterback, something he did with exceptional results last year. Seattle quarterback Geno Smith revived his career with a Pro Bowl season that has now turned into a big contract with the Seahawks.

“One guy after the other – highly-touted, gets a lot of accolades, when really it’s a system that is friendly for the quarterback,” Canales said. “Drilling that timing of getting the ball out and then having the balance of the run game.

“I heard Sean Payton say this the other day and I thought it was brilliant. He said, ‘You’ve got to take the quarterback off the high dive.’ I thought that was a brilliant way to put it because you can’t be leaning on him to make every single play all of the time.”

Canales also spoke about the quarterback being a facilitator, someone who can distribute the ball to the talent around him. The Bucs have plenty of talent at the skill positions in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, Rachaad White and Cade Otton. They’ll add more this offseason, too.

So, could Baker Mayfield step in and run Canales’ offense on his way to experiencing a career revival of his own? He projects as a fit for Tampa Bay largely due to his price tag, as he won’t come with a hefty one as he tries to reestablish his value and get his career back on track.

The Bucs could bring the former Heisman Trophy winner in to compete with Trask, who has yet to get a real shot at proving himself in the NFL.

If Trask wins the job, Mayfield would be a proven backup to him. Then again, Mayfield could very well win the job out of camp and provide Tampa Bay with a chance to remain competitive in a struggling NFC South.

Ever since Tom Brady retired on Feb. 1, Baker Mayfield’s name has been floated out as a potential replacement on a cheap prove-it deal. Jacoby Brissett is another one whose name has been in the mix, while Seattle backup Drew Lock has been connected to the vacancy due to his time and experience with Canales.

But it appears the Bucs will have their eyes on Mayfield when free agency opens this week. We’ll get a clearer picture of the Tampa Bay quarterback room soon enough.