TAMPA, Fla. — Life without Tom Brady for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is far over.
To turn the page after the G.O.A.T.'s retirement, the Bucs have brought in Baker Mayfield to compete with Kyle Trask for the team's next starting quarterback.
Mayfield, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, spent most of his time in his NFL career thus far with the Cleveland Browns, helping them reach the postseason for the first time in almost 20 years. However, the seasons that followed did not age well for Mayfield.
He was mostly injured for the Browns in 2021, then traded to the Carolina Panthers last year only to be cut by them midway through the season. He was eventually picked up by the Los Angeles Rams where he displayed up-and-down games.
Now, the 28-year-old not only plans to be Tampa Bay's QB1, but he also wants to stay with the franchise as long as possible.
"He's looking for a place where he can hopefully play well and finish out his career and play to the level of expectations that were placed on him when he was the No. 1 overall pick," former NFL general manager Rick Spielman told CBS Sports. "He's very confident, not arrogant, but he also understands... that he's really out to prove that he's the Baker Mayfield that was a first overall pick a few years back."
10 Tampa Bay Sports Director Evan Closky and 10 Tampa Bay Digital Content Producer Leo Santos were at the Bucs' mandatory minicamp last month.
One thing we can agree on is both Mayfield and Trask looked sharp during the drills session, but head coach Todd Bowles confirmed there were a few turnovers from the two during team scrimmages.
At the time, however, Mayfield said it was all about learning new offensive coordinator Dave Canales' plays and building team chemistry.
For Spielman, he said a combination of Baker's hard work in both OTAs and minicamp, as well as other team elements, people should expect Tampa Bay to catch some teams off-guard this upcoming season.
"They're going to surprise some people," he said. "I know Baker Mayfield has got to prove it, but I think Tampa's defense is pretty good and if they can establish the run game and if Canales can replicate [what he did in Seattle], they're going to be a surprise."
Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans, who is preparing for another 1,000-yard season that will bring him closer to breaking the record of most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons set by Jerry Rice, said last week he is liking what Mayfield has done so far out on the training grounds.
"I'm really impressed with what I've seen with Baker," he said. "Whoever the quarterback will be, I'm positive they're going to make the right choice and we're going to win some games."
Bowles said at minicamp that he is willing to take all of training camp and preseason before naming the team's starting quarterback.
Should Mayfield be selected as the starter, fans can expect to see him dressed in a Bucs uniform for the first time when Tampa Bay opens up its 2023 season on Sunday, Sept. 10 against the Minnesota Vikings. That game can be seen on 10 Tampa Bay. To see the team’s full schedule, click here.