Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and the offensive line had quite the bonding experience before the season began.
They went to the Bahamas after training camp to golf, Bucs general manager Jason Licht said in an interview with Peter Schrager of the NFL Network and Fox Sports.
“Baker is a dude, and the players saw it right away. Whether he’s taking the linemen to the Bahamas … after final cuts to golf. He’s spotted around town at dive bars with receivers, with Mike Evans, with [Chris] Godwin. It’s not fake. He knows how to be a dude with the team,” Licht told Schrager on the October 4 episode of “The Season” podcast. “And they love him.”
“Baker is a DUDE and the players saw it right away. He took the OL to the Bahamas during camp after final cuts to golf. He’s spotted around town at dive bars with receivers, with Mike Evans, with Godwin. He’s that guy. He’s the man. And it’s not fake.”
Mayfield’s bonding with the offensive line and his outings with Evans and Godwin seems to have paid off on the field. The former No. 1 pick in 2018 has the Bucs off to a 3-1 start, and he has amassed 882 yards passing and 7 touchdowns versus 2 interceptions. The Tom Brady-led Bucs stumbled to 2-2 at this point in 2022.
Evans and Godwin haven’t missed a beat with Mayfield throwing them the ball instead of Brady, who retired after the 2022 season. Evans leads the team with 20 receptions for 337 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Godwin has 21 catches for 255 yards.
Baker Mayfield Talks Bahamas Trip
Mayfield talked about the Bahamas trip during his October 4 appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
“We had three out of the five [starting] guys,” Mayfield told Eisen. “Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke and Robert Hainsey. We all went down Labor Day weekend, the three-day break we get with the three preseason games. We went down there, enjoyed some great weather, the water and just had a good time.”
Mayfield also talked about his off-field connection with Godwin, Evans and their fellow receivers.
“There’s a couple local watering holes we frequent,” Mayfield said. “Got to get the guys out. You fight hard for each other, you got to enjoy the downtime together. It’s a great group of guys. It’s not like it’s forcing anything. It’s just good friendship, and I love those guys.”
Todd Bowles: Baker Mayfield’s ‘Having Fun Out There’
Mayfield had arguably a more tumultuous 2022 than the Bucs did. The Cleveland Browns traded him to the Carolina Panthers, and Mayfield got released in the middle of the season followed by a short stint with the Los Angeles Rams.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, who liked Mayfield coming out of Oklahoma in 2018, sees a rejuvenated quarterback on and off the field. The Bucs signed Mayfield in March to a one-year, $4 million contract amid doubts surrounding the former Heisman Trophy winner.
“Baker’s tough. I say it up here all the time. You don’t want him taking too many of those, but he’s tough, he’s gritty, [and] he’s a very smart football player. He’s a competitor, he’s been like that his whole life, it hasn’t changed. He has a lot to prove, he’s having fun out there, he understands the offense, he’s using every piece of [weaponry] that we give him, and he’s having a good time,” Bowles told the media on Monday, October 2.
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Baker Mayfield Makes Bold Gesture for Bucs Teammates