Ex-NFL GM Makes Bold Claim About Bucs’ Baker Mayfield

Quarterback Baker Mayfield does not view his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a stop-gap job.

“He thought that [Tampa Bay] was not only the best opportunity for him now, but for the future He’s looking for a place where he can hopefully play well and finish out his career,” former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said on CBS Sports after his observations of Bucs mandatory minicamp in June. “He’s really out to prove he’s the Baker Mayfield that was taken with the first overall pick.”

Mayfield signed with the Bucs for $4 million in March after bouncing around three teams last year. He faces a battle for the starting quarterback job with Kyle Trask after the retirement of Tom Brady in February.

“There’s no question about the chip on his shoulder,” Spielman said about Mayfield. “If you look over the last couple of years, it’s been disappointing, but before that he was almost living up to the billing of being the No. 1 overall pick. He got Cleveland into the playoffs, then got injured and he’s had a few road bumps along the way.”

Mayfield notably led the Browns to the franchise’s first playoff victory since 1994. Cleveland had been a quarterback graveyard before then with numerous first round picks who didn’t pan out.

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Baker Mayfield ‘is in Command’ With Bucs

Mayfield now looks to lead a franchise that thrived with Brady under center — a Super Bowl victory, three playoff appearances, and two NFC South division crowns. Mayfield said he’s not Brady during an introductory press conference in March but looks to carve his own legacy.

“There’s no question that he is in command down there,” Spielman said of Mayfield. “You can tell about his leadership by the way he walked around the field, the aura about him, and the players believing in him.”

“The one thing that I noticed was when he was throwing to the receivers, Mike Evans was kind of always in his line when he was throwing,” Spielman added. “Mike caught a couple from the other [quarterbacks] as well, but you can tell that even though they say it’s an open competition, the feeling that I got when I was sitting there watching is that there’s no question Baker will be the starting quarterback barring any injury.”

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Bucs Running Game Could Boost Baker Mayfield

While the Bucs running game finished last in all major categories last season, Spielman sees a change coming under offensive coordinator Dave Canales.

The Bucs expect second-year running back Rachaad White to take a big step forward and Chase Edmonds to become a solid second back. If those two take off, the Bucs could see similar success to what Canales had with the Seattle Seahawks as the quarterback coach when quarterback Geno Smith won Comeback Player of the Year.

“One of the things that made Seattle’s offense go a lot was that they had some pretty good running backs that could run the ball,” Spielman said. “They built that, and what Russell Wilson and even Geno Smith had last year was establishing the run game to take the shots and make big plays down the field.”

“I think that is critical for them as they go forward, but if they can get that going and kind of replicate something where no one really gave Seattle much of a chance last year,” Spielman added.

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