The trajectory of Baker Mayfield’s career has been one of the most compelling storylines in modern professional football, tracing a winding path from the mountain peaks of being the first overall selection in the NFL Draft to the valley of being cast aside by multiple franchises, and finally toward a remarkable career renaissance in Tampa Bay. When the Cleveland Browns selected the former Oklahoma standout with the premier pick in 2018, they hoped he would anchor the franchise for the foreseeable future. Instead, the marriage between team and quarterback eventually soured, leading to a turbulent departure that sent Mayfield bouncing from Cleveland to Carolina, and then briefly to Los Angeles, before he ultimately found a stable and flourishing home with the Buccaneers.
Looking back at his earliest days in Cleveland, Mayfield entered training camp as the backup to Tyrod Taylor under head coach Hue Jackson. It quickly became apparent that Mayfield would inevitably take the reins, a transition that accelerated when the Browns replaced offensive coordinator Todd Haley with running backs coach Freddie Kitchens midway through the 2018 season. Under Kitchens, Mayfield’s performance surged significantly, marked by sharp efficiency, a knack for connecting on deep balls, and a promising rookie campaign that showcased his strong arm and innate mobility. The offensive ecosystem in Cleveland at the time featured rising talents and established playmakers alike, setting the stage for what many anticipated would be a swift ascent to the upper echelon of signal-callers.
That optimism faced a stark reality check during Mayfield’s sophomore season in 2019. The team plummeted into offensive disarray, and Mayfield struggled mightily, ranking near the bottom of the league in major passing metrics such as completion percentage, interception rate, and passer rating. Questionable game plans, a porous offensive line, and injuries to key contributors hampered the unit, culminating in the dismissal of Freddie Kitchens at the end of the year.
However, the hiring of head coach Kevin Stefanski ahead of the 2020 campaign injected new life into Mayfield and the Browns. Operating within a run-first, zone-blocking scheme that emphasized play-action and designed pocket movement, Mayfield rebounded impressively. He drastically cut down his interception numbers and guided Cleveland to its first playoff victory in twenty-six years. Despite operating with fewer pass attempts due to a heavy reliance on a dominant backfield featuring Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, Mayfield maintained a healthy downfield attack, capping off the season with stellar play down the stretch and into the postseason.
The momentum, unfortunately, did not sustain itself into subsequent years. The 2021 season was marred by adversity, most notably a severe torn labrum in Mayfield’s non-throwing shoulder that he played through from the second week onward. The injury severely impacted his mechanics and decision-making, leading to high interception rates and erratic play. Compounding matters, the Browns aggressively pursued and acquired Deshaun Watson in the offseason, making it clear that Mayfield’s tenure in Ohio had reached its terminus.
Trading him was no simple task given his guaranteed salary, but the Carolina Panthers eventually parted with a draft pick to secure his services for the 2022 season. In Carolina, Mayfield stepped into an offense featuring DJ Moore, Robbie Anderson, and Christian McCaffrey, but the pairing failed to spark. Hampered by the ongoing recovery from shoulder surgery and struggles within a stagnant offensive scheme, Mayfield endured a difficult start to the year. By December, the Panthers opted to waive him, concluding a brief and unproductive chapter in Charlotte.
Salvation arrived swiftly in the form of a late-season waiver claim by the Los Angeles Rams. Thrown into action just days after joining the team, Mayfield orchestrated a dramatic Thursday night comeback victory against the Raiders, later delivering a brilliant performance in a blowout win over Denver. Though those fleeting moments occurred within a lost season, they served as a vital audition, demonstrating that Mayfield still possessed the competitive fire and capability to execute at a high level.
Capitalizing on that late-season showcase, Mayfield signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2023 to compete for the starting quarterback job against Kyle Trask. Winning the role under head coach Todd Bowles and first-time offensive coordinator Dave Canales, Mayfield completely revitalized his career. He posted personal bests in passing yards and touchdown passes, earned a Pro Bowl nod, and led the Buccaneers to a division title and a playoff victory. Leaning into his strengths, Mayfield excelled at pushing the ball downfield, utilizing his strong arm and a talented receiving corps featuring Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to terrorize opposing secondaries.
When Canales departed for a head-coaching position in Carolina ahead of the 2024 season, the Buccaneers promoted pass-game coordinator Josh Grizzard and brought in Liam Coen to install a Sean McVay-derived offense characterized by quick-passing concepts and heavy pre-snap motion. The transition proved seamless for Mayfield, who took his game to an even higher echelon.
During the subsequent campaign, Mayfield finished among the league leaders in several major categories, establishing career highs in completion percentage, passing yards, and touchdown passes. Operating within Coen’s rhythm-based attack, Mayfield capitalized on short-to-intermediate routes that generated immense yards after the catch, propelling his on-target percentage to elite levels. Even as his average depth of target decreased, his yards per attempt surged, highlighting a highly efficient and decisive quarterback playing with supreme confidence.
With the Buccaneers returning virtually all of their offensive starters, including the dynamic receiving duo of Evans and Godwin, alongside early-draft reinforcement Emeka Egbuka to bolster the slot game, the infrastructure around Mayfield remains exceptionally stable. Although certain metrics like his red-zone touchdown rate are expected to experience natural regression toward the league average, Mayfield enters the subsequent slate of games firmly entrenched as the offensive engine of a competitive Tampa Bay squad. Supported by a robust offensive line and a punishing rushing attack that keeps opposing defenses off-balance, the former first overall pick has firmly rewritten his narrative, transforming from a career in jeopardy into a cornerstone of sustained success in the NFL.
