Nearly ‘written off,’ Baker Mayfield just needed a team to believe in him. The Buccaneers do

TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield desperately wanted to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The quarterback loved his first year with the Bucs in 2023. He had poured his heart and soul into the organization that needed him as badly as he needed it.

But with three days to go before free agency, Mayfield remained without a deal, so he reached out to Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht to make a plea for a resolution. Mayfield, who had been at a restaurant with his wife, Emily, along with Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs and his girlfriend, texted Licht to reaffirm his desire to stay in Tampa in 2024 and beyond and build off their recent success — an NFC South title and a wild-card round thrashing of the Philadelphia Eagles.

He asked Licht to increase the Bucs’ offer to get it done.

Unbeknownst to the quarterback, Licht had already sweetened the deal that afternoon while negotiating with Mayfield’s agent, Tom Mills. So Licht, who could be described as Mayfield’s kindred spirit, decided to have a little fun with his response.

Licht recalled texting Mayfield, “Hey listen, you’re a motherf—er. Congratulations.”

The Bucs and Mills had agreed to terms on Mayfield’s new contract: a three-year, $100 million deal with $50 million guaranteed.

Mayfield, whose playing career had hung in the balance after bouncing around the league the previous couple of seasons, had finally achieved the stability he’d been seeking for years. He was in complete disbelief when Licht called him to share the news.

“I was like, are you serious?” Mayfield told The Athletic recently. “So I hung up the phone and was able to celebrate with those three. The relief, I was like, ‘Yes, this is what I wanted, and it wound up happening.’ It was so surreal.”

The good times didn’t stop there. Mayfield and Emily welcomed their first daughter, Kova Jade, a month later. So after a wildly chaotic roller-coaster ride through the NFL for a couple of years, the Mayfields could take a breath.

The path to a perfect landing was unconventional for the 29-year-old.

“When I think back on it, it wasn’t easy at all, but it was so worth it,” Mayfield said. “No part of my story so far in my life has been anywhere normal.

“For me, it’s going to make settling in here and understanding the potential that we have — if we’re able to achieve our potential that we have here — it’s going to be an unbelievable story.”

‘Written off’

Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy in 2017 before the Cleveland Browns made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, so he entered the league with massive expectations. He delivered his best season in 2020 when he led the Browns to their first playoff victory in 26 years, and the front office was preparing to offer him a long-term contract extension if he followed up that performance in 2021.

That never materialized. Mayfield tore his left shoulder labrum in Week 2 and suffered a non-displaced left shoulder fracture in Week 6. He also suffered a bruised heel and knee and missed a Week 15 game on the COVID-19 list. Mayfield managed to play 14 games despite the injuries, but his ability was severely impacted, leading the Browns to make an historic trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson before shipping Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers.

Mayfield called that 2021 season the most difficult stretch of his career.

“Playing as banged up as I was, and knowing the year I was coming off of in 2020 and not getting to that point again, not physically being able to do it,” Mayfield said. “I felt like I was a part of Cleveland, just that blue-collar mentality. I tried to give everything I had to those fans, but it didn’t wind up working out.

“I saw us coming very close to beating the Chiefs in the divisional round in 2020. So in my mind, I was like, OK, if I can just heal back up and play close to that potential, we’ll be back in the same spot and maybe be in the AFC Championship. There’s a lot of things you can go back and (try to) change, but I’m not going to do that.”

The results weren’t any better in Carolina. Mayfield lost five of his six starts and dealt with a high ankle sprain during the season. Panthers coach Matt Rhule was fired after Week 5. By December, Mayfield, who had already lost his starting job, requested his release. The Los Angeles Rams, who were ravaged by injuries to several stars, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, claimed Mayfield off waivers.

It wound up being a shocking lifeline.

“I was written off to be a perennial backup at that point,” Mayfield said.

Two days after being claimed and without a real practice under his belt, Mayfield faced the seemingly impossible task of starting a Thursday night game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Rams coach Sean McVay gave Mayfield a wristband with about 40 plays — a fraction of a typical workload — and wasn’t planning to read out the full play calls over the headset to limit confusion. For example, McVay intended to signal in “wristband 10” rather than the full play call of about 15-20 words.

“I’m sitting in Sean’s office before the game,” said Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who had the same title with the Rams in 2022. “He’s like, ‘Hey, let’s just try to get out of this game with some positives that we can have as we go with Baker that we can build from. But if we win this game, it’s a miracle — like, a legit miracle.’”

Mayfield ultimately never needed the wristband, as his sharp recall of the plays blew away the coaching staff. After a slow start, he led back-to-back touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to complete a stunning, 17-16 comeback victory. Mayfield made enough of an impact over the Rams’ last five games to change the mood in the building as well as his standing around the league.

.@bakermayfield‘s first TD as a Rams gives us the LEAD!!

📺 @NFLonPrime | 📲 https://t.co/4beUdmlymg pic.twitter.com/lrGpPjUMD4

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 9, 2022

“I couldn’t even describe the weight lifted off my shoulders after that Raiders win,” Mayfield said. “It was an unbelievable feeling, something I’ll never forget — winning a game for a team that I didn’t even know most of the players’ names. It was an unbelievable feeling. It brought joy back to football for me.”

Coen added: “He completely changed the competition level at practice. It was fun. He was jawing at (Jalen) Ramsey. Ramsey is jawing at him — but in a great way. He brought us some confidence when we were lacking it. He’s infectious. He’s an igniter.”

‘I did it my way’

The Bucs needed a veteran QB in 2023 after Tom Brady’s retirement, and they quickly zeroed in on Mayfield. Licht believed Mayfield possessed the highest ceiling among the available options, and head coach Todd Bowles had been fond of the quarterback since scouting him before the 2018 draft.

They were confident in Mayfield’s film, but they were particularly sold on his leadership and personality, which was especially important given the pressure of taking over for Brady. The price was right, too, with Mayfield taking a one-year deal worth up to $8.5 million, and they told him he still had to beat out Kyle Trask for the starting job.

“With the greatest quarterback of all time leaving, you needed a guy to change the culture in a different kind of direction (the franchise) was going in,” Bowles said. “I thought he was that perfect guy. He came in here and … exceeded expectations.”

Mayfield immediately ingratiated himself as the team’s leader, well before he won the starting job. Licht referred to him as an offensive lineman who plays quarterback. Bowles said Mayfield has more of a defensive mindset than the typical QB. Whatever the case, Mayfield became close with players at practically every position group.

He fought for them, Light explained, so they followed suit. So when the Bucs fell to 4-7 last season, they were able to rally to win the NFC South because they genuinely cared about each other. That’s a testament to Mayfield.

“The team rallies around him and plays with his personality, which is blue-collar, tough, resilient,” Licht said. “He’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around. Those guys gravitate to him. … He knows how to treat his receivers. He knows how to talk. He knows he’s got to back up his talk. He holds himself very accountable. He does all these things naturally. It’s not an act.

“He’s exactly the type of personality you want … at that position.”

Of course, there’s still room for improvement. The Bucs ranked No. 20 in scoring last season before offensive coordinator Dave Canales was hired as the Carolina Panthers head coach, paving the way for Mayfield’s reunion with Coen. The pair stayed in touch after they both left the Rams after 2022, and Mayfield even reached out to Coen last offseason hoping he’d be interested in joining the Bucs before the organization submitted a formal interview request.

Considering that was a couple of months before Mayfield even re-signed, it shows just how committed the quarterback was to the franchise.

“He’s somewhere he’s believed in,” Coen said. “That’s all he’s been looking for throughout his whole career — to be at a place where people believe in him, and that’s what he has here.”

The trials overshadowed the tribulations at times, but Mayfield isn’t looking for any mulligans. It’s his story, and he’s proud to embrace it.

“I understand why I’ve always had that spotlight on me,” Mayfield said. “I’ve always been one to wear my emotions on my sleeve and speak my mind, and sometimes that’s rare. But if you ask any of my teammates that I’ve played with inside the locker room, they understand exactly who I am.

“I’ve gotten to this point because I did it my way. Why would I change that now and try to switch it up? I think I got lost early in my career of trying to satisfy people’s opinions and do it a certain way. But hey, when it comes down to it, quarterbacks are just supposed to win games. If you’re doing it your way and winning games, there’s nothing wrong with that. Throughout my journey, I found my way back to that. It wasn’t easy to do, but I found my way back.”

And now, Mayfield can settle in and stay awhile. He isn’t just renting time anymore. He finally owns it.

The brass in Tampa have unanimously agreed this team has already forged an even stronger bond than the 2023 version, and they’ve given Mayfield the strongest share of the credit. For his part, Mayfield said it’s just easier to be the best player and teammate possible when he’s got this level of job security. And with Kova Jade in the picture, Mayfield has a greater sense of perspective.

Welcome to the Krewe, Kova Jade Mayfield ♥️🥹 pic.twitter.com/omU88zeJ7Q

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 13, 2024

Last week, Mayfield was thinking back to Aug. 1. He remembered getting home from the team facility to have dinner with Emily, and she told him she was pregnant.

Life was changing — so fast and for the better.

It’s been the best year of Mayfield’s life, and he feels there could be more to come.

“To look back and see how quickly we got settled in, it’s so amazing,” Mayfield said. “To be able to sign an extended deal to stay here and have her here and just be so happy, to build a great group of friends and be in a great place in life, it makes a difference when you play football. You play a lot more free. You don’t have as many distractions. Yeah, I have a lot more responsibility now. There’s no doubt about that. But it makes it so much more worth it.”

(Photo: Cliff Welch / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)