Getty Emily and Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers quarterback
On the field, Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally had something to be happy about on Sunday with their grinding win over the Panthers. Turns out, though, that off the field, Mayfield has something to celebrate as well—he is going to be a father for the first time.
On Monday, Mayfield’s wife, Emily, announced on Instagram that they will be having a baby girl due in April of 2024. The announcement came complete with a photo of Sarah and Baker Mayfield standing on a beach as Emily holds five ultrasound photos, with the couple’s dog, Fergus, at their feet.
“We’ve been hiding a little something……..” Emily Mayfield said in the caption.
“But we are THRILLED to share that baby girl Mayfield will be joining our crazy crew in early April 2024!”
CONGRATULATIONS: #Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield and his wife Emily are expecting their first child
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Several NFL comrades chimed in on the announcement. “Congrats bro!” Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, Mayfield’s former teammate, wrote. Chiefs star Travis Kelce also wrote, “Ayyyeee!! Congrats you guys!”
Baker and Emily Mayfield (formerly Wilkinson) have been married since 2019 and first met while he was still in college at Oklahoma, before he was the No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns.
Buccaneers Future at QB Still Uncertain
It should be a wild spring for the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield, indeed. In NFL terms, his daughter is due to arrive just after he can expect free agency to wrap up, and it should be around that time that he knows whether he can establish some stability and stay in Tampa Bay or whether he will be heading elsewhere, for what would be his fifth team in three years.
Mayfield signed a one-year contract last March with the Buccaneers at a bargain price of $4 million. He has played well for the Buccaneers at times, and there was much enthusiasm for Mayfield and a future Tampa run after the team started 3-1. But they’ve gone 2-6 since, and now, Mayfield’s future is much more up in the air. A strong finish and a playoff appearance could cinch a return.
He has thrown for 2,790 yards and 18 touchdowns, with eight interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 90.0, which puts him in the middle of the pack among NFL quarterbacks, at No. 18. According to Spotrac, his market value heading into free agency at this point would be $16.7 million per year, projecting to a two-year, $33.4 million contract.
Baker Mayfield: ‘Always Have a Chip on My Shoulder’
After signing his contract with the Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield discussed how he had changed his life over the years to better insulate him from outside noise. At one point while he was with the Sooners, of course, Mayfield was a lightning rod for controversy. No more.
“I have been off social media for almost two years now,” he said five months ago, per the team’s web site. “I am wired different. I don’t need anyone on the outside to tell me what I can or can’t do. I know what I am capable of. … Everything happens for a reason. I am here now, and I am ready to go.”
Mayfield also said he is consistently driven by the challenges he has faced in his career, whether it was in Cleveland, at his two 2022 stops with Carolina and the Rams, or now with the Buccaneers.
“I will always have a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “That is how I approach every day, but it is good to be around a room and a group who has had that success and continues to have that mentality as well. It is a good fit, but we are going to write our own story. You cannot carry on anything from the past years. You might internalize and think about it, but nothing translates to the next year.”