Who is Baker Mayfield, the quarterback that took over for Tom Brady at Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Quarterback Baker Mayfield will lead the Bucs in their Divisional Round game against the Lions on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, Ford Field, Detroit). The winner of the Heisman Trophy with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2017, and first overall draft pick in 2018, he’s already played for four teams in the NFL, but now appears to have settled at Tampa Bay under Todd Bowles.

The 6ft 1in quarterback from Austin, Texas made a name for himself early on in his college career, becoming the first walk-on true freshman quarterback to start an FBS season opener, when projected starter Michael Brewer picked up a back injury. That season he was named Big 12 Conference Freshman Offensive Player of the Year, but in somewhat controversial circumstances which he put down to “miscommunication” with the coaching staff, he left for Texas Tech’s bitter rivals, Oklahoma, but missed an entire season die to paperwork issues over the transfer, which later led to the “Baker Mayfield” rule. allowing walk-on players without a written scholarship offer from the school they are transferring from, to transfer within the conference without losing a season of eligibility.

Mayfield played for Oklahoma for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons. In addition to causing a furore when he planted the Sooners’ flag right in in the middle of the ‘O’ at Ohio Stadium, he won the 2017 Heisman Trophy with a huge majority (86% of possible points), becoming the first and so far only walk-on player to win the Heisman Trophy.

Mayfield signs for the Browns

Baker Mayfield joined the Cleveland Browns as the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, signing a four-year rookie contract worth just under $33 million in guaranteed salary. He led the Browns to a 7-8-1 finish, their best since 2007 and he was named 2018 PFWA All-Rookie, though he was pipped to Offensive Rookie of the Year by Giants running back Saquon Barkley.

Despite that promising start Mayfield never lived up to his promise, although in 2020 he took the Browns into the playoffs, beating the Steelers 48-37 in the Wild Card game before losing to the Chiefs 17-22 in the Divisional Game. That win over the Steelers was the Brown’s first playoff triumph since the 1994 season, a year before Mayfield was born.

In 2021, the Browns failed to make the playoffs and it was revealed Mayfield had been playing with a partially torn shoulder. He underwent surgery, was placed on injured reserve and then requested a trade in the offseason when the Browns signed QB Deshaun Watson.

Moving round the NFL

Mayfield was traded to the Panthers for a 2024 conditional fifth-round draft pick and started the 2022 season playing against his old team the Browns on the opening day. In an up and down season, including an ankle-sprain in their Week 5 loss to the 49ers, Mayfield eventually requested to be released, which he was on December 5.

The Los Angeles Rams picked him up off waiver the next day. His biggest moment with them came the Raiders, when with 1:45 left on the clock and trailing by six points, Mayfield took the Rams on a 98-yard game-winning TD drive, the longest of his career.

Buccaneers name Baker Mayfield as the No. 1 QB

On March 16, 2023 Mayfield joined the Bucs on one-year deal, aiming to take over from Tom Brady. And after a summer intense competition, he was named as their starting quarterback. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles making the call and choosing Baker Mayfield over fellow signal caller and teammate, Kyle Trask.

Mayfield finished the season with 28 touchdown passes, 4,044 passing yards and a 64.3% completion rate, all of which are career highs. The Bucs finished the season 9-8, topping the NFC South. In the Wild Card game against the Eagles, Mayfield threw for 337 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions, with the Bucs running out 32-9 winners.

The question now is whether this is finally Mayfield’s moment...

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