The Buccaneers announced a one-year deal 8.5 million dollar deal with Baker Mayfield this week to compete with Kyle Trask for the starting quarterback job this season.
New Buccaneers Quarterback Looking To Get His Career Back On Track
Mayfield comes to Tampa hoping to get his career back on track after hitting rock bottom in 2021.
That was the year everything fell apart for Mayfield. He played with a torn labrum passing for 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 14 games.
Mayfield would have surgery in January 2022 to repair the torn labrum.
The Browns traded Mayfield to Carolina in the summer of 2022, where he promptly beat out Sam Darnold to be the Panther’s starter. He struggled to a 1-5 record as a starter before suffering a high ankle sprain which would end his time in Carolina.
He was eventually released by the Panthers and signed with the Rams.
Mayfield signed with the LA Rams on Tuesday and started Two days later on a Thursday Night against the Raiders.
Trailing 16-10 with under two minutes to play, Mayfield led an improbable 98-yard drive ending with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson to give the Rams the 17-16 win.
Mayfield’s best season came in 2020 when he led the Cleveland Browns to a 9-7 record and their first playoff appearance in 18 seasons. That playoff game will go down as one of the most memorable in Brown’s history, as they beat the hated Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in Pittsburgh.
Mayfield passed for 3563 yards with 26 Touchdowns and eight interceptions during the 2020 season.
Buccaneers Will Have A True Quarterback Competion in Training Camp
Mayfield believes he can still be a starter in this league. He is coming to the Buccaneers to give Trask some competition in training camp and to try to win the starting quarterback job this season.
Mayfield was the quarterback the Bucs had their eye on for a while now. That interest only increased when Tom Brady announced his retirement in February.
Due to their salary cap situation, the Bucs would never get Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, or Aaron Rodgers.
Mayfield was the best option for the situation the Buccaneers were in financially, and now he has a chance to help the team win a third straight division title and get his career back on track.
The 27-year-old Mayfield is entering his sixth NFL season and believes he can be one of the top starting quarterbacks in the league.
The former number-one pick and Heisman Trophy winner has passed for over 16,000 yards in his NFL career,102 touchdowns, with 64 interceptions.
Can Dave Canales Ressurect Baker Mayfield’s Career?
It’s no coincidence that Baker Mayfield would choose the Bucs. New offensive coordinator Dave Canales helped revive the career of quarterback Geno Smith this past season as Smith was named the NFL’s comeback player of the year. Smith also signed a three-year $75 million contract with $27 million guaranteed.
Mayfield hopes Canales can help him get his career back on track as he did Geno Smith this past season.
Mayfield knows that the Bucs still have a lot of pieces left from their Super Bowl-winning team on the roster and that this team has a chance to compete for a division title and playoff berth.
Jason Licht talked about Baker Mayfield and is looking forward to the summer competition between Mayfield and Kyle Trask to see who will be the Buccaneer’s starting quarterback in 2023.
“We’ve always, all of us in the front office and the coaches as well … we’ve seen a fiery competitor. (He’s) very confident, smart, (and) he’s got a very good arm. He’s had a lot of success. We’re excited to add him to the fray, and it’s going to be a great competition. It’s going to be, since I’ve been here, really the real first legit QB competition in training camp, which will be a lot of fun to watch. It’s going to make both of them better. I feel very confident about what Dave Canales is going to do with the offense and with these quarterbacks. Very exciting.”
On Monday, the Buccaneers will officially introduce Mayfield in a press conference.
