“He’s a winner” – Baker Mayfield’s ex-teammate absolves Bucs QB of blame in previous failures (EXCLUSIVE)
Baker Mayfield finds himself in unfamiliar territory heading into the 2023 season.
After a roller-coaster couple of seasons in Cleveland, Mayfield bounced around on teams before being called into duty with the Los Angeles Rams late last season.
That waiver-wire activity didn't quite last, with the Buccaneers ultimately signing him up for the season.
Baker Mayfield’s reaction to Bucs coach Todd Bowles asking the first question as he sat down for a media session: “Hey Baker, are you the starter?” Bowles asked. pic.twitter.com/2rGjF46ftc
Head coach Todd Bowles has held off on naming a starter heading into preseason games, but it's clear that Mayfield has his eyes on the prize.
On the condition of anonymity, a former teammate of the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback spoke to Sportskeeda this week to provide some context on the Bucs star's character heading into the 2023 season.
“I played with the guy and I can tell you that he is a winner. Had we been a little bit better around him, who knows how good we could have been.
"The guy wants to win, he’s smart, he commands the huddle and the guys around him believe in him. Unless he completely screws it up, I believe he will begin the season as Tampa Bay’s starter.”
With $8.5 million contract in hand, Baker Mayfield sets out with a lot to prove
The Rams chose not to retain Mayfield, instead drafting Georgia's Stetson Bennett late in the 2023 NFL Draft.
With the Buccaneers coming off a gruelling season after Tom Brady's retirement, many people thought Kyle Trask would be handed the keys to the kingdom in Tampa.
Not if Mayfield has anything to say about it.
Video: Baker Mayfield talks about how he handles critics and doubters as the Bucs try to make the playoffs for a fourth straight season. pic.twitter.com/SmoOqMcqiu
All that talk about there being a QB battle with the Buccaneers hasn't fazed Mayfield. He told reporters this week:
"I'm wired different. I don't need anybody on the outside to tell me what I can and can't do. I know what I'm capable of. Yeah, I got hurt in Cleveland -- that's why my run ended there. And then last year, it was what it was in Carolina. But everything happens for a reason, so I'm here now."
Expectations have certainly been tempered after Brady's exit, and understandably so.
In fact, Buccaneers ticket prices have cratered since the seven-time Super Bowl champion's exit by as much as 50 percent, with Tampa Bay tickets retailing at $179.
TickPick's Kyle Zorn told The Athletic:
“It just goes to show you the demand or the power of Tom Brady. The NFL is not really star-driven like the NBA. To see that much of a drop shows Brady is unique."
Brady's certainly unique, but so is Tampa Bay's situation this year.
We've tweeted about them individually, but after five Bucs practices, Baker Mayfield has thrown four interceptions (two today, one deflected) and Kyle Trask has only one. Turnovers were arguably the biggest concern about Mayfield going into the competition.
Trask and Mayfield have been splitting reps in training, alternating between training with 1s and the 2s. Bucs beat reporters have been stating that the rotating between the two has been fairly regular, though Trask has not had any meaningful reps over the past couple of years for obvious reasons.
The Bucs don't appear to be targeting a higher draft pick in 2024 for an elite QB, which means the franchise will probably tread water this year.
Baker Mayfield will be under center for that ride, though it remains to be seen whether he can resurrect his career where Brady ended his.