Few could have imagined where the Bucs and quarterback Baker Mayfield would be now when he signed a one-year, prove-it deal with Tampa Bay last March. Mayfield came in not guaranteed the starting spot and battled it out with Kyle Trask to be handed the keys to the Bucs’ offense by the end of the preseason.
Not only did he start the car, but he drove the team to the NFC Divisional round after winning the NFC South with a 9-8 record. Along the way he not only had a career year, but he carried himself in a way that has made it easy for Bucs fans, players, and the front office to accept him as the face of the team and even more – the face of the city of Tampa.
This sentiment was shared this week by safety Jordan Whitehead as well as head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht.
Baker Mayfield Is The Kind Of Competitor That His Bucs Teammates Fight For
Baker Mayfield left his passion and fire out on the field for the Bucs last season, showcasing that he is the kind of leader his teammates are happy to go into battle with.
Mayfield’s ability to rally the troops and get everybody together is a characteristic expected out of the quarterback, but he does it in a way that few others can. That is something that safety Jordan Whitehead referenced when discussing what kind of competitor he is.
“Baker’s a competitor,” Whitehead said after Tuesday’s OTA practice. “He’s been a competitor since college since I’ve known him. That’s the type of guy you want leading the team. There’s Tom Brady’s and Aaron Rodgers’ and things like that, that’s great too. But when you got a competitor that’s going to leave it on the line for your teammates, just how he plays the game. He runs the ball, he throws the ball, he’ll do everything, whatever is asked of him. That’s the type of guy you know you want leading.”
It says something that after Whitehead namedropped the last two quarterbacks he’s played with – two of the best at the position ever – he would go out of his way to mention that Mayfield is the kind of leader that leaves it all the line, and he is only continuing to evolve in that regard. Although he may stand just 6-foot-1 and weigh 215 pounds, he is not shy to tuck and run, take a hit, and get right back up and start trash-talking his opponent.
Head coach Todd Bowles shared this week how the signal-caller has been as the offseason continues onward.
“‘Bake’ has been great,” Bowles said. “He’s eager, he’s hungry – all of the guys are. They’re just ready to get started.”
Jason Licht: “Everybody Can Kind Of Relate To” Bucs QB Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield’s hunger is something that many in the Tampa Bay area have grown to admire. Bucs general manager Jason Licht has seen that passion up close, sharing a story recently on the Loose Cannons Podcast on how Mayfield’s playstyle appeals to fans of all kinds.
“He won over the entire city,” Licht said this week on the show. “I remember having a mechanic had to come pick me up at my car [when] I had a tire go out. Picked me up in the morning and then brought it over, took me to work, and then took the car, it was a whole ordeal. It was awesome, this guy that I’ve known for a long time, Jason. Anyway, we’re driving to work early in the morning and he was like, ‘Hey, will you let Baker know he’s my dawg?’ He goes, ‘We got his back.’ This was in the preseason, he’s like, ‘That’s our guy.’
“That’s kind of when I knew right away that like every demographic here in town loves Baker because he’s a blue-collar, he’s a fighter, he’s going to never back down, and he’s got everybody’s back. That’s the way he plays, so I think everybody can kind of relate to him as somebody they can attach themselves to.”
When analyzing the player and person that Baker Mayfield is, one quickly concludes that he is someone you want in your corner.
From his teammates and coaches to the fans in the stands, Mayfield has the kind of personality that has won over the Bucs and the city of Tampa as a whole.
