On Tuesday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles named Baker Mayfield the team’s starting quarterback for Week 1 in Minnesota against the Vikings.
Mayfield beat out third-year quarterback Kyle Trask for the job, who will be Tampa’s backup quarterback. It appeared to be a close battle, but Mayfield got the nod in the end.
Bowles explained why.
“There’s a lot that goes into it,” he said. “I can’t sit up here and give you every detail. We go through mini-camp, training camp, and OTAs. We love everything Kyle [Trask] has done, and he’s gotten leaps and bounds better – and he has in the spring, and he’s continuing to get better. We’re excited about him. Baker is our guy right now – experience-wise and understanding the playbook just a little bit better. Kyle is on the come [up], but we like both guys; we like where we’re at. Baker is the one, and Kyle is the two.”
Bowles believed the competition was good for both players.
“It’s always great to have competition,” Bowles said. “You want to prop up both guys and make sure they’re competing hard and learning everything and doing what they’ve got to do. You don’t ever want to give anybody a job. Every year at every position, you’ve got to come in and earn your spot. It’s no different this year with quarterbacks and a new coordinator learning the system.”
For Mayfield, who was the number one pick in 2018 of the Browns, this is a chance to reignite his career. He was the starter for the first five seasons of his career, including last season for the Panthers. However, Mayfield would get injured in Carolina and eventually lose his job. By request, he would get released by the Panthers during the season. After his release, Mayfield would sign with the Rams and finish the 2022 season in Los Angeles.
According to the six-year veteran, who signed a one-year deal with the Bucs in the offseason, he should be a starter in the NFL.
“I expect to be the starter,” he said. “I know how talented I am; I know what type of leader I am. Now, it’s just time for the real thing. We’re about to have the real games, and everybody is excited here.”
The 28-year-old is happy to be a starter, but now he wants to win games.
“The ultimate goal is always to be playing, so it’s one of those things where – you look at the big picture – it’s one of those things [where] you have to check the box,” Mayfield said. “Now is the time to really ramp it up and go from here and start winning ballgames that count.”
Mayfield feels he has a good command of Bucs OC Dave Canales’ offense.
“I feel like I was comfortable enough within the system, commanded the offense, and was able to get guys in the right spots,” Mayfield said. “It’s not saying anything against anybody else; I just feel like I’m in good command of the offense.”
This is an excellent opportunity for Mayfield, and the Bucs made the right move by giving him the job. He’s still young and has some ability, but if he doesn’t get the job done in Tampa, this could be his last chance to be a starter in the NFL.
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