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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and his wife, Emily, welcomed their baby daughter on April 9.
They named her Kova Jade Mayfield, born at nine pounds, two ounces “just before 7:30 p.m.” according to Emily Mayfield’s Instagram post. Kova Jade is the Mayfields’ first child since their 2019 wedding.
“She is truly everything we prayed for and more,” Emily Mayfield wrote. “We’re enjoying life as a family of 4 — Fergus [the dog] is so gentle & curious, Daddy is so smitten, and Mama wants to pause time & make these days last forever.”
“My heart could explode any minute, I swear, Bake was born to be a dad,” she added.
The baby also arrived within a week of Baker Mayfield’s 29th birthday on Sunday. Buccaneers fans can appreciate that Mayfield is still on the younger side of 30 as he enters his seventh NFL season amid a three-year, $100 million contract.
Baker Mayfield and his wife made Tampa their home in the past year amid his success with the team. Mayfield enjoyed a career year in 2023 when he threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns en route to an NFC South title and Divisional Round appearance.
Baker Mayfield: ‘We Call Tampa Home Now’
When Mayfield spoke with the media after his signing on March 13, he emphasized that his family calls Tampa Bay “home now” after one year with the team.
“I’m very thankful for this opportunity. We call Tampa home now and [we’re] obviously welcoming another key piece to our family,” Mayfield told reporters.
Mayfield’s year in Tampa ended a three-team sojourn in 2022 when the Cleveland Browns traded him and the Carolina Panthers released him. His short stint at the end of the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams provided a boost going into 2023, which helped him land with the Buccaneers.
“[It was] a weight lifted off our shoulders from the traveling journey we’ve been on the last couple of years,” Mayfield said. “For us, knowing how much we truly loved being here, and throughout the whole process, we thought we were going to call this place home in the offseason regardless – that’s how much we fell in love with the community, the city overall [and] have truly enjoyed living here.”
“So, a weight lifted off our shoulders, but just knowing that we can settle in and truly make a difference, whether it’s with the organization and throughout the community, that we can truly be rooted and kind of have a ‘boots on the ground’ mentality to make a difference and see that through,” Mayfield added. “It’s a special feeling.”
Baker Mayfield Calls New Contract ‘Life-Changing Money’
Mayfield never confirmed specifically if other teams offered him more money in free agency, but he made it clear that he sees the opportunity to win in Tampa Bay.
“For me, I said it immediately after our Detroit game, following the loss: to build a winning team and to have a lot of the key pieces that we needed back to continue this run and improve it, some sacrifices have to be made,” Mayfield said. “Now, listen, this is life-changing money and I’m not going to act otherwise.”
“It’s something that I’ve worked extremely hard for over the years and many years of football. I’m grateful for it. There’s nothing to be ashamed about. There’s nothing to say, ‘Oh, well he got more.’ It’s not that mentality,” Mayfield continued.
“Knowing that we have a chance to bring back some key pieces and make a further run in the playoffs, that’s important to me. I’m a winner at heart, I hate losing, so knowing that we get a lot of guys back and we can continue to build this for years to come is a special thing,” Mayfield concluded.
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