Many might have thought that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense would fall off once Tom Brady decided to retire following the 2022 season.
However, that wasn’t the case.
The Bucs took a gamble on Baker Mayfield after he went through a tumultuous time following being let go by the Cleveland Browns, signing him to a one-year, prove-it deal.
Sep 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan (15) celebrates with quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
In his first season behind center, Baker took the Bucs to the divisional round of the playoffs, and in his second season, he helped lead a top-five offense while putting up career-high numbers across the board.
Mayfield was doubted, hated, and pushed aside, but he was resilient through it all and found a home in Tampa Bay. In a recent appearance on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce, Mayfield expanded on this and gave some insight as to why he and the Buccaneers make the perfect union.
“This isn’t to sh*t on the other teams or franchises. But when you step in and your GM and your head coach say, ‘Hey, just be you.’ After I’ve been told at every stop and everywhere I go, ‘Hey, you need to tone it down a little bit. You need to be a franchise quarterback.’ It’s just not who I am. I wear my emotions on my sleeves,” Mayfield quipped.
“We’ve hung out. You guys know me, I’m going to talk sh*t. I’m going to do whatever, but when it’s time to turn the lights on and go do something, I’m going to do it. So when I stepped into the building, they all told me to just be myself. And so it’s been, not to say comfortable, but it’s felt like home since the beginning. And as a quarterback that’s been through a little bit of a journey. You can’t ask for anything else.”
It’s pretty evident that you must let Mayfield be Mayfield — nothing or nobody else.
Tampa Bay’s confidence seemingly gave Mayfield the confidence to become the quarterback we see today — an arguably top-10 player at his position who is now earning the respect of his peers.
Mayfield doesn’t have to be Tom Brady, and he doesn’t have to be Patrick Mahomes — he just needs to be Baker Mayfield, and that is exactly what the Bucs wanted and have got since he arrived in the Sunshine State.
Mayfield has a great chance to replicate or even surpass what he did a season ago. He returns his entire offensive line and skill position players, with even more added through the NFL Draft. He will once again work with a different offensive coordinator, but he has come to expect that as he has had eight in as many seasons he’s been a pro.
