This morning, Baker Mayfield was confirmed.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was confirmed.
Baker Mayfield is likely to attract interest from several organizations, but it has been largely assumed that he will re-sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after experiencing a sort of career rebirth with them in 2023. Now, Mayfield has a lot of ties to one of those clubs that is always in need of a quarterback.
The Buccaneers are the “clear-cut favorite” to have Mayfield back this offseason, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, but the New England Patriots might be a team to keep an eye on.
Fowler points out that in 2018, the Cleveland Browns had Patriots executives Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith when Mayfield was selected first overall. Highsmith is a personnel executive, and Wolf was recently elevated to the position of director of player personnel in New England.
Alex Van Pelt was just hired by the Patriots to serve as their new offensive coordinator. Van Pelt collaborated with Mayfield during his time in the same capacity with the Browns in 2020–2023.
Last season, Mayfield was a perfect match for Tampa Bay. For the first time in his career, he passed for more than 4,000 yards, with a career-high 28 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. The Buccaneers, under Mayfield’s leadership, advanced to the postseason and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round before falling to the Detroit Lions.
It’s obvious that the Bucs want to bring Mayfield back because they even contacted him on a significant offseason decision. It’s likely that at least a few other teams will attempt to obstruct that.
