Baker Mayfield has made his exit known.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield just declared his retirement.
Baker Mayfield, the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is about to become a free agent after seeing a career renaissance under Canales’ coaching. It will be crucial to identify the ideal offensive coordinator match for Mayfield.
In response to a question on where he saw himself playing in 2024, Mayfield told NFL Network’s Cam Wolfe on Thursday at the Pro Bowl Games, “It all just kind of depends.” Obviously, Tampa, we’re now conducting a little bit of an OC hunt. That’s where it will begin. They were the first to give me a chance, and I am appreciative of that. Let’s see. focusing on each day as it comes.”
Canales’s first (and only) season as the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers coincided with Mayfield’s finest NFL season. All in all, Mayfield earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl after winning the precision passing competition on Thursday, and the Bucs emerged victorious in the NFC South and advanced to the NFC Divisional Round. But Canales took the job as head coach of the Carolina Panthers after guiding Mayfield to a season in which he passed for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, and a 64.3 completion percentage—career highs.
Mayfield’s reunion with Canales and the Panthers, with whom he spent a portion of the 2022 season, is improbable given that Carolina is constructing around Bryce Young.
Thus, whether Mayfield returns to the Bucs or goes elsewhere may depend on Tampa’s future offensive coordinator.
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Baker Mayfield, quarterback for the Buccaneers, is interested in returning in 2024.
Regarding discussions, Mayfield remarked, “I suppose they engaged a little bit with my agent and them.” “But when they started the OC search, I think they knew that we have to know who’s calling plays before anything’s done,” the person said. “But obviously when Canales left—and glad for him, as well, getting a head coaching job, he deserves that.”
Following stints with the Panthers and Los Angeles Rams following his No. 1 overall draft selection by the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield ultimately felt most at home in Tampa. But it’s certain that Canales played a significant role in his achievement. Thus, in order to retain Mayfield, the Bucs must find a situation where all parties can work well together.
Mayfield thinks Bucs supporters could expect the club to build on their 2023 Divisional Round run if he returns in 2024. And Mayfield continued to refer to the Buccaneers as “us,” which may indicate where he’s leaning or what he hopes to achieve.
He declared, “We’re going to get some parts back.” “A fantastic locker room was the foundation of everything we built throughout the second half of the year to improve culture. Thus, many of those components are returned, and culture is what matters most. Although we had a slight dip in performance midway through the season, we persevered. I understand that they stuck by us the entire time, but please keep going.”
