Why Panthers icon loves Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was arguably the best quarterback of Week 1 of the NFL season, as he completed 24-of-30 passes for 289 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in this past Sunday's impressive 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders. 

During an appearance on FanDuel TV's "Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams," former Carolina Panthers defensive superstar Luke Kuechly praised Mayfield for the signal-caller's performance against Washington.

"I’m a big Baker fan," Kuechly revealed, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "I love Baker Mayfield. I think that the team really rallies around him, his toughness, his edge, his attitude, his competitiveness." 

Before Mayfield resurrected his career with the Buccaneers last season, he felt "like a piece of dirty laundry" after he was discarded by both the Cleveland Browns and Panthers in 2022. He then guided Tampa Bay to the division title and to a home playoff victory en route to receiving a new three-year deal to stay with the Bucs in March, and ESPN stats show that he will enter Week 2 of the ongoing campaign ranked third in the league with an 85.9 adjusted QBR. 

Much has been made over the past year about how and why Mayfield proved to be perfect for the Buccaneers after Tom Brady retired in February 2023. Kuechly suggested such traits resulted in Mayfield making throws against Washington that other quarterbacks wouldn't have attempted. 

"...When you watch that game and you watch how he believes in the guys on his team, he threw a ball to (wide receiver) Mike Evans, a fade in the low red zone, and he wasn’t open at all," Kuechly. "But Baker’s attitude to me is, 'I believe in Mike Evans. I believe in my guys. I’m going to give you a chance to go get it, now go get it.' So if you’re Mike Evans, he gives you so much ownership in your ability to go play that you want to play for a guy like that. I’m a big Baker fan."

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Buccaneers as seven-point underdogs for this coming Sunday's showdown at the 1-0 Detroit Lions. The Lions defeated Tampa Bay in the divisional round of the playoffs in January, and history suggests Mayfield and the Bucs have had this Sunday's game circled on their calendars for some time.