Week 2 will mark the second time that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield will face the Cleveland Browns after the team drafted him first overall and traded him after his fourth NFL season.
However, it will be his first time as the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback, and the first time since he signed two significant extensions to be the Bucs starter. It will also be the first time he faces off with Deshaun Watson, who the Browns traded for to replace Mayfield.
Mayfield made it clear that most of the people in the franchise that were there when he was are gone. However, he also noted that this game does mean a little bit more.
“Any time there’s history between a franchise, a coaching staff, anybody; you want to come on the winning side of that, no matter what,” admitted Mayfield. “Obviously it’s very different there, staff-wise and everybody.”
Mayfield acknowledged that this is only his fourth year with the Buccaneers and he had already played four seasons with the Browns. So, the history is deep.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Opens up on Former Team
Mayfield was also asked what he learned about his first four seasons in the NFL that he still applies to the player he is today. He noted that it has to do with a mindset that he brings to the Buccaneers locker room.
“Trying to be the same person each and every day for the guys in the locker room, the people you work with, the staff, that you’re around each day,” said Mayfield. “Controlling who I am each and every day, trying to lead the best way possible, control the offense, and ultimately win.”
Mayfield went 29-30 in his first four seasons with the Browns. He has gone 27-25 as a starter in Tampa Bay. The Browns have gone 26-43 over that same time. They are 9-11 when Watson starts for them.
Mayfield Had a Long Journey From Cleveland to Tampa Bay
The Browns traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers, where he competed with Sam Darnold. Mayfield went 1-5 over his six starts with the Panthers. The team released him, and he got a chance with the Los Angeles Rams.
He won a key Thursday Night Football game that revived his career, but went 1-3 with the Rams overall.
Mayfield signed a one-year, $4M deal to get a chance to start for the Bucs in 2023. The Bucs went 9-8 and won a playoff game. The next year, he signed a three-year, $100M extension.
After two years of that deal, he signed a new three-year, $165M deal. The former number-one overall pick has made over $131M in his career, and if he plays out the entirety of his deal, he will have cashed in on $323M.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield Gets Candid on Facing Browns Again