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Football has gone back to being fun for Baker Mayfield, something he wasn’t able to say during the latter part of his tenure with the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick of the Browns in 2018 and he had his moments. He helped lead Cleveland to its first playoff win in a quarter-century during the 2020 season but it was all downhill from there. Mayfield played through a significant shoulder injury in 2021 that took its toll both physically and in the box score. The Browns decided to trade for Deshaun Watson the following offseason and Mayfield was later sent to the Carolina Panthers.
His time in Carolina was rough. He dealt with injuries once again and eventually lost his starting role. Mayfield was let go but found another opportunity with the Los Angeles Rams, where he says things started to turn around. Less than 48 hours after signing with Los Angeles, Mayfield took the majority of reps during a Thursday Night Football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, mounting a furious comeback in the fourth quarter.
“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. It was the first time I had fun playing football in a few years,” Mayfield said, per the New York Post. “It brought that feeling of having that success and really remembering what it was all about, Kind of hit the reset button for me.
“To be around a coach like Sean McVay and a bunch of other guys… to be around those guys and to be in that offense and now looking forward to being in Tampa because it’s a very similar system with our new offensive coordinator [David Canales].”
Baker Mayfield Had Rough Relationship With Kevin Stefanski
Mayfield didn’t have the best relationship with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, with details emerging after his departure about their connection.
“Mayfield was widely viewed as childish and immature. His behavior annoyed teammates and divided the locker room,” The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd wrote. “He was often difficult to coach.”
After the Browns received a 45-7 beat down by the New England Patriots, Stefanski missed a meeting with his QB. The Browns skipper instead tended to a pressing situation with Myles Garrett, who took a very public shot at the coaching staff for a lack of adjustments.
“In one of those ‘careful what you wish for’ moments, Stefanski never missed another meeting and privately shined a glaring spotlight on his quarterback during film sessions from that day forward,” Lloyd wrote.
Baker Mayfield Getting Chance to Start for Buccaneers
Mayfield has a chance to start in Tampa Bay but has big shoes to fill as the successor to seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady.
“Listen, I’m never going to be Tom Brady,” Mayfield said in March shortly after signing with the Bucs. “There’s a reason he’s won so many Super Bowls. He’s the greatest of all time. There’s no doubt about that. I’m not going to try to be Tom. I’m going to be me. That’s what has gotten me to this point. We’re going to do it differently, but that’s what makes this league so special. Everybody puts their own touch on it.”
Mayfield has hit some bumps in the road but is still confident he can help the Bucs stack up some wins.
“It was important to me to be in a place that’s stable and knows how to win and how to do it properly,” Mayfield told reporters. “I want to go somewhere that we can win right away, and this is that place.”
Mayfield will be competing with former second-round pick Kyle Trask, who was drafted by the Bucs in 2021.
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