Baker Mayfield is an MVP candidate this year. In his eighth season in the NFL, Tampa Bay is Mayfield's fourth team and he seems to have finally found a home. He's top-10 in the NFL in most statistical categories, has thrown 12 touchdown passes and zero interceptions and the Bucs are off to a 5-1 start, their best since Tom Brady was the quarterback in 2021.
So how did Mayfield finally find his place in the NFL? Has anything changed beyond the fact that he's now winning more? Let's take a look back at the long and winding journey that Mayfield took to get to where he is today—in the MVP conversation.
Baker Mayfield's college resume
Texas Tech Red Raiders, 2013
Mayfield walked onto the team at Texas Tech in 2013 and started as a true freshman. In a 2016 profile on ESPN.com, Tim Keown noted that Mayfield was the first true-freshman walk-on QB to start an FBS season opener and was the Big 12 freshman offensive player of the year. After the season and some miscommunication with Kliff Kingsbury, Mayfield transferred.
Oklahoma Sooners, '15-'17
After sitting out a year because of transfer rules, Mayfield won the starting job in 2015 as a walk-on again. This time he threw for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns, finishing fourth in the Heisman voting. The next season he would finish third with 3,965 yards and 40 touchdowns. As a senior, he won the Heisman, after throwing for more than 4,600 yards and another 43 touchdowns.
College Controversy
Mayfield also made a name for himself as a bit of a rebel during his final year at Oklahoma. After a win at Ohio State, he planted a flag at midfield.
There was also controversy when Mayfield and the Sooners played Kansas. The Jayhawks refused to shake his hand and hit him with a cheap shot and Mayfield responded in multiple ways. He threw three touchdown passes, trash-talked fans and directed a crotch grab at the Kansas sideline.
Baker Mayfield's NFL Journey
Drafted by the Browns in 2018
Cleveland was coming off one of the worst stretches in NFL history when they took Mayfield with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft. After going a combined 1-31 in Hue Jackson's first two seasons as Browns coach, Mayfield won six games as a rookie starter despite the fact that Jackson was fired early in the season and Gregg Williams took over. Mayfield threw 27 touchdown passes and won offensive rookie of the year honors.
Second year setback
Freddie Kitchens took over as the head coach in 2019 and Mayfield's numbers regressed as the team finished 6-10. He threw five fewer touchdowns and seven more interceptions than in his rookie season.
Kevin Stefanski arrives
After one year with Kitchens, Kevin Stefanski took over as coach and the Browns were suddenly a playoff team. Mayfield started all 16 games as the Browns went 11-5, beating the Steelers in the wild card round. With Mayfield and Stefanski the Browns made the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and won their first playoff game since '94.
Baker Mayfield departs
The Browns were confident enough in Mayfield's worth to exercise his fifth-year option, but in '21 Mayfield played through injuries and the Browns struggled, missing the playoffs with an 8-9 record. Despite the fact that he had won more games in each of his three seasons than the team had won in the three years before he was drafted combined, they decided to trade for Deshaun Watson. Mayfield then requested a trade.
Panthers and Rams
The Browns satisfied Mayfield's trade request, trading him in July '22 to the Panthers for a conditional '24 draft pick. Mayfield won the starting job over Sam Darnold, but got hurt and ended up splitting time with Darnold and P.J. Walker. In December he requested his release from the team and ended up saving his career.
The Rams claimed Mayfield off waivers on Dec. 6. Three days later he led one of the most thrilling comebacks of the last few years. Mayfield replaced John Wolford after one series and ended up taking the Rams on a 98-yard drive in the final two minutes to defeat the Raiders.
He finished the year as the Rams starter and while he never reached the heights of that first night, he had shown enough to get another chance.
Replacing Tom Brady
When Tom Brady retired following the '22 season, the Buccaneers needed a new quarterback. They signed Mayfield to a one-year deal. For $4 million, plus a $2 million signing bonus, Tampa Bay got a Pro Bowl quarterback who threw for three touchdowns and 300 yards in a postseason victory over the Eagles.
The Bucs rewarded Mayfield with a three-year deal with $50 million guaranteed. Mayfield threw for a career-high 4,500 yards and 41 touchdown passes and the Bucs made the playoffs again.
This year they look like a potential Super Bowl contender thanks to multiple thrilling victories led by the quarterback who sometimes looked like a journeyman and sometimes looked like his career might come to an abrupt end.
Instead, it continues with the Buccaneers.
