There was a time when many believed that former No. 1 NFL draft pick Baker Mayfield’s time in the league was over. But he’s now having a career rejuvenation with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are now entering their third season with the former Oklahoma Sooners star signal-caller as their QB1.
Baker has been a Pro Bowler in each of his first two seasons with the Buccaneers, but somehow, he appears to be getting less attention from the media than when he was struggling with his previous teams, as pointed out by Fox Sports’ Nick Wright during a recent “First Things First” episode.
“When Baker wasn’t great, he was over-discussed,” Wright said. “And now that he’s really good, I think he’s under-discussed.”
“When Baker wasn’t great, he was over-discussed. And now that he’s really good, I think he’s under-discussed.”@getnickwright says Mayfield is a top 10 QB: pic.twitter.com/l7zNzOODeL
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) May 27, 2025
That isn’t a homer take from Wright either, as he’s a big Kansas City Chiefs fan. For what it’s worth, Wright’s Chiefs were defeated by Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
Mayfield was thought to be a savior of the Browns when they took him first overall in the 2018 NFL draft but the team never quite achieved big success with him.
He found himself later playing for the Carolina Panthers, where his struggles continued. But a short stint with the Rams gave his career a spark. He signed a one-year, “prove-it” deal with the Buccaneers in 2023 and parlayed that opportunity into a three-year, $100 million contract extension in 2024.
The Buccaneers have made the NFL playoffs and won the NFC South division title in Mayfield’s first two seasons with them.
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