GM shares why Baker Mayfield has 'psychological advantage' with Buccaneers

Both the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers discarded quarterback Baker Mayfield long before he guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a pair of division titles and one playoff victory. 

During a chat with ESPN that was released on Wednesday, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht discussed why Mayfield found success with Tampa Bay following his stints with the Browns, Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. 

"I do think that, at least, with Baker, with us, you know he went through a rough patch there early in his career. But he felt like he was wanted [by Tampa Bay]," Licht explained, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "Mayfield was wanted by the head coach, by the GM, by the coaching staff, by the players. We wanted him. And I think there’s a psychological advantage to that once [a quarterback feels] like they’re at a place where everybody wants him."

Mayfield previously acknowledged that he felt "like a piece of dirty laundry" after he was deemed surplus to requirements by both the Browns and the Panthers. Even though he led Cleveland to what remains its only playoff win since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999, the club controversially replaced him with Deshaun Watson in March 2022. Mayfield then flopped with the Panthers later that year before he ended the season as a fill-in option for the Rams. 

With that said, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and senior advisor Bruce Arians were both big Mayfield fans before Cleveland made the signal-caller the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Mayfield ultimately proved to be an excellent value signing for Tampa Bay when he helped the 2023 Buccaneers reach the playoffs and notch a postseason win. He was subsequently rewarded with a new three-year deal to stay with the Bucs, which he signed in March 2024. 

Per Pro Football Reference, Mayfield finished this past regular season ranked third in the NFL with 4,500 passing yards, tied for second with 41 passing touchdowns and fourth with a 106.8 passer rating. If Licht is right about the "psychological advantage," Mayfield's best days with the Buccaneers could be ahead of him.