Baker Mayfield signed a three-year, £100million deal to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason after his much-needed 2023 season - a year in which he looked to have saved his career.
Baker Mayfield has chosen to stick with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, penning a lucrative three-year, £100million deal following a pivotal 2023 season that many believe rescued his career.
After being drafted first overall in 2018 by the Cleveland Browns, subsequently traded and then released by the Carolina Panthers in 2022, Mayfield's move paid off spectacularly. Taking control of the Bucs as starting quarterback, often regarded as his final shot, he stunned critics by throwing 28 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions and spearheading the teampreviously tipped to flopto a playoff victory.
Mayfield's candid thoughts on the Buccaneers' performance are telling, as his comeback has made him a sought-after name in the free-agent market. Not long ago, pundits expected Mayfield to be benched permanently, with FOX Sports host Colin Cowherd even advising him publicly to hang up his cleats.
During his YouTube programme The Herd, Cowherd remarked: "I'd like to be Baker Mayfield's agent and I'm going to tell him at 28 years old, retire, save your brand and go to college football and be an analyst. You'll be able to make seven figures. I just saw a story this morning where Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask - it's a battle to see who will start at quarterback. It's time to retire."
"You lead the NFL in interceptions since you entered it. You're not a franchise quarterback. You've never grown out of the chutzpah and the tough guy thing. And like Tim Tebow or Cam Newton, he's just too relevant to be a backup.", reports the Mirror US.
Baker Mayfield, rebutting his doubters after securing his place with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, opened up to the Tampa Bay Times about his decision to stay with the team: "For us, it was a matter of timing. In the moment, yes, I wanted to get the deal done.
"But being on the business side of this thing a couple times and on the bad end of it, you want to make sure you get taken care of. So, for me, yeah, I was a little anxious. But I wasn't worried."
Elaborating on his confidence and choice, Mayfield added: "I knew that based on 2023, getting a fresh start in Tampa, I knew that I had put enough stuff on tape. I knew that I was a starter, but now I knew that other people viewed it the same way.
"I wasn't worried, but I wanted it to be Tampa. I knew the culture and that was a place where I could be myself. Genuinely."
