Like in every professional sport, expectations are always high for a top overall pick. Some expect that player to produce from day one while some expect him to be the franchise savior. For Baker Mayfield, it was both. As the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns expected Mayfield to change their fortunes quickly.
However, after four seasons and only one playoff win, the Browns got impatient. They traded for Deshaun Watson, leaving Mayfield to rebuild his career from the ground up.
Mayfield’s inconsistency in Cleveland ultimately led to his demise
In his rookie season, Mayfield lived up to the hype. He'd set the record for most touchdown passes by a rookie with 27, which allowed him to help the Browns match their highest win total in 10 seasons. Despite his early flashes of brilliance, Mayfield struggled with turnovers and injuries took a toll on his performance. His best moment came in the 2020 season when he led the Browns to their first playoff victory in over 25 years with a 48-37 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, the following season was followed by disappointment. By 2022, the Browns felt Mayfield overstayed his welcome in Cleveland and was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional fifth-round pick. Mayfield’s first few months after his trade to the Panthers were rough, to say the least. While he did win the role as starting quarterback, he struggled. Through his first six games, Mayfield went 1-5 as a starter and completed less than 50% of his passes. Struggling to find his rhythm, Mayfield was eventually benched in favor of quarterbacks like PJ Walker and John Wolford, two players who are no longer in the NFL as of 2024.
By the time the Panthers released him mid-season in 2022, Mayfield was claimed off waivers by the Rams. This was when things started to change for Mayfield. While he was mostly used as a backup, he showed flashes of brilliance whenever he stepped on the field.
Baker Mayfield finds himself in the perfect situation
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In 2023, he signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On his third team in less than a year, Mayfield knew his career could be hanging in the balance. He'd eventually win the starting role as quarterback of the team once again. But this time around, he made sure to make his opportunity count.
Mayfield didn’t just win the starting job, he thrived. He was named to his first Pro Bowl, threw for over 4,000 yards which included 28 touchdowns, and led the Buccaneers to the divisional round of the playoffs, marking one of the deepest playoff runs the franchise has been on in two decades when you exclude the three years they had Tom Brady.
The Buccaneers rewarded Mayfield's play by resigning him to a lucrative three-year, $100 million contract with at least half of it fully guaranteed. Mayfield’s resurgence has been one of the best comeback stories in recent years and he's proven that his first season in Tampa Bay was no fluke. It took a while for Mayfield to find his footing in the NFL, but it was worth the wait.
