It has been a wild ride for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield originally entered the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns back in 2018 and got off to a terrific start, throwing for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns en route to finishing second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
But the following season, Mayfield threw as many interceptions (21) as touchdowns (22), and many began to sour on his potential. He redeemed himself the in 2020, leading the Browns to 11 wins and a playoff appearance after registering 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight picks, but since then, things have gone downhill for the University of Oklahoma product.
After a miserable year in 2021, Cleveland proceeded to trade Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers, where he lasted all of seven games before being released. He then caught on with the Los Angeles Rams, making five appearances and four starts in relief of the injured Matthew Stafford.
Mayfield would then ultimately land with the Buccaneers this past offseason and won the starting job out of training camp. While many thought Tampa Bay should tank for the opportunity to draft USC signal-caller Caleb Williams, Mayfield has led the Bucs to a 2-0 record through two weeks and has looked solid in doing so, tossing three touchdowns and no interceptions with a 104.4 player rating.
Former NFL wide receiver and current Fox Sports analyst Keyshawn Johnson has been impressed with Mayfield’s play and thinks he may be making the Buccaneers really think about things:
Johnson adds that it’s still early and stopped short of saying he has found a permanent home in Tampa, but there is no question that Baker Mayfield has surprised some people in the early stages of 2023.
The Bucs will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
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