Baker Mayfield probably didn’t envision being on his fourth team in his fifth NFL season after the Cleveland Browns selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 season.
But that’s exactly what Mayfield faced when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early this offseason to compete with veteran Kyle Trask for the unenviable job of replacing the legendary Tom Brady at quarterback.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles took the quarterback competition through most of training camp. However, with the Buccaneers poised to face the Baltimore Ravens in both teams’ final preseason game of 2023, the team announced Mayfield as the starting quarterback on Tuesday.
TIME TO BAKE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7GTdEbdUgU
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 22, 2023
While nobody is expecting Mayfield to totally replace Brady, one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the sport, finding the consistency that has eluded him throughout his career would go a long way toward helping the Buccaneers return to the playoffs after losing Brady to retirement.
Mayfield entered the league in 2018 with the Browns. He then gave back millions of dollars in guaranteed contract money to facilitate a trade to the Carolina Panthers, who would later trade Mayfield to the Los Angeles Rams. He enjoyed some success there before signing with the Buccaneers.
The NFL world was quick to react to news of Mayfield once again earning a starting role in the league, and to the way the Buccaneers announced it:
A simple tweet would've sufficed https://t.co/rjXR1gbj6v
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) August 22, 2023
7:09 am christmas morning after opening my easy bake oven https://t.co/ORrk1oAXJ7
— katherine fitzgerald (@kfitz134) August 22, 2023
Oh dear
Maybe just announce him as starter. https://t.co/SQv6fiHCVj
— Mateo De La Cruz (@mattmc24) August 22, 2023
Bucs fans made fun of us for going from Brees to Jameis yet they trying to get themselves hype going from Brady to Baker lmao https://t.co/7RIPibrpC7
— Jono Barnes (@JonoBarnes) August 22, 2023
when you are in the ninth grade and draw something on the paper bag covering your textbooks https://t.co/gekEW9Miuv
— skooks (@skooks) August 22, 2023