Getty Baker Mayfield meets Nick Bosa again on Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t revisit the flag planting moment at Ohio State, but he acknowledged a renewed rivalry with San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa.
Mayfield planted a flag on the Buckeyes’ turf in 2017 after his Oklahoma Sooners pulled off the win in Columbus, Ohio. Bosa, who played for that Ohio State squad, bounced back against Mayfield in the NFL in 2019 when he sacked Mayfield twice.
“No, I mean I’ve only played him a couple of times,” Mayfield told reporters about Bosa’s trash talking on Wednesday, November 15. “The first year, definitely – that was his rookie year. But it’s fun. He is a good guy, obviously a great competitor and a stud. He is one of those challenges that you look forward to going up against and competing with.”
A Cleveland Browns quarterback at the time, Mayfield had a rough go of things against Bosa with 8-22 passing and two interceptions. Bosa told reporters on Tuesday, November 14, that he messed with Mayfield that day.
“I was kinda trying to talk. I don’t usually talk,” Bosa said. “But, this game, he had it coming. But he didn’t say one word back. … I was screaming his name, like, ‘Baaaakerrr … Baaaaakerrrr … You good? Come on, pick it up, we want a challenge.’ Stuff like that. He was just looking at me like …”
Mayfield knows a big challenge awaits against a Niners squad that whipped the Buccaneers 37-7 last year. That happened with Tom Brady at quarterback for the Buccaneers.
“Their defense as a whole has studs all around. [We’ve] got to be clued into their blitz packages and obviously [we] just have to handle the front in general,” Mayfield said. “That’s their starting point and it allows for those linebackers that are both studs to play pretty free.”
Baker Mayfield Breaks Silence on Contract Extension Speculation
Mayfield has a one-year, $4 million deal with the Buccaneers, and he will become a free agent next March. Speculation of if the Buccaneers will extend his contract arose amid his solid play and the team’s 4-5 record.
“Not that I know of. For me, I’m just taking it one game at a time and the rest will fall into place,” Mayfield said.
Since signing in March, Mayfield has turned his career around with the Buccaneers. He completes 64.6% of his passes, and he has 2,143 yards for 14 touchdowns versus five interceptions plus a 93.7 quarterback rating.
Baker Mayfield Found a Fit of Now in Tampa Bay
A former No. 1 draft pick, Mayfield looks well on the way to match or surpass his career-best numbers in 2020 with the Browns when he led the team to the playoffs. Since, Mayfield’s career took a downturn with a trade to the Carolina Panthers in 2022 followed by a release and a short stint with the Los Angeles Rams, but he found a fit in Tampa Bay.
“Absolutely. I’ve said it time and time again, and it’s not going to change, just the organization as a whole from when I came in — it has been really clear about what they want to get done and about where we’re headed, and as these games have gone, offensively for us, just about how we’ve grown within the system,” Mayfield said.
“It’s been, ‘This is where we want to be at and this is what we want to get done.’ When it’s clear and concise, I can fall in line no matter what. We’re all just trying to get better each day as an offense and try to continue to improve,” Mayfield continued. “Now we get a better opponent to get to go up against and see what we’re made of.”