Some folks might say that Baker Mayfield is the type of player whose reputation precedes him. Now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 28-year-old has suited up for his third team in the past year or so. The good news for Mayfield is that he’s had a notably strong start with his new team, and he now appears to be on track to perhaps finally live up to the lofty expectations many had on him when he was drafted as the first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns some five years ago.
Baker Mayfield Making Waves With Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One thing that Mayfield has going for him is that he appears to have already gotten the approval of his teammates. Bucs star wide receiver Mike Evans recently spoke about Mayfield’s impact on the squad. As it turns out, the former Rookie of the Year has already established himself as a vocal leader on the squad:
“We love Baker’s energy,” Evans said, via Mike Florio of PFT. “He’s a great leader. He’s only been here like five, six months now, but he’s a hell of a leader. He had a bad rep before, I don’t know why. He’s a great guy, great teammate, and he’s a hell of a player.”
Evans also touched on the elephant in the room. While he did not go into much detail, the Bucs WR acknowledged Mayfield’s rather unsavory past. The outspoken quarterback has been in his fair share of controversies before, but at this point, it is clear that this has not stood in the way of Mayfield winning over his new Buccaneers teammates — or at least Mike Evans.
Baker Mayfield’s Colorful History
Simply put, Baker Mayfield is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of Oklahoma football. He has a glowing resume during his time with the Sooners, which includes the Heisman Trophy in 2017, multiple school records, and of course, back-to-back Big 12 championships.
This is exactly why the Browns used their No. 1 overall pick on him during the 2018 NFL Draft. The rest, as they say, is history.
While Mayfield showed flashes of brilliance early on, he just wasn’t consistent enough to truly claim his place as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Several narratives then emerged pertaining to his supposed attitude problem and his reputation for being a bad teammate.
The silver lining here is that Mayfield appears to have battled through this stigma now that he’s with a new team. It’s way too early to tell if he’s going to be able to really shine as Tampa Bay’s new cornerstone quarterback. However, all signs are pointing in the right direction right now.
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