Once upon a time, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield looked to be on his way toward officially wearing the bust label. Mayfield was the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns after lighting up defenses and winning a Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma.
Despite showing that he could take the Browns to heights they hadn't been to much since re-entering the league in 1999, that apparently wasn't good enough for Cleveland. Mayfield played through an injury in 2021 and, as a result, didn't play to the best of his ability, and that was something the Browns used against him that offseason.
In the 2022 offseason, the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson and immediately gave him a record-setting contract that guaranteed him $230 million. Had Watson merely been the Texans quarterback who led the league in passing yards in 2020 that'd have been one thing but he was in the midst of being accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct.
That didn't deter the Browns from trading for him and with Watson in Cleveland, Mayfield became expendable. The Browns shipped him off to Carolina, with the owner, Jimmy Haslam, reportedly making comments that Mayfield needed to act more like an adult.
After Mayfield flamed out in Carolina, he had a brief stint with the Rams that then led to the Buccaneers giving him a shot in 2023. As we know now, that ended up being a genius move, as Mayfield has revamped his career in Tampa, throwing for over 4,000 yards and a total of 69 touchdowns in his two years with the Bucs. He's also led the Bucs to two NFC South titles and had them on the cusp of an NFC Championship appearance in the 2023 season.
Baker Mayfield took well-deserved shot at the Browns
So, why exactly are we strolling down memory lane here when training camp is in full swing and the Bucs are looking to make a deep run once again? Well, because Mayfield appeared on the New Heights podcast last week and ripped the Browns when the topic came up.
While the gang was discussing the Browns and how they can fix the quarterback situation, Mayfield responded, "Listen, I plead the fifth," to which the Kelce brothers couldn't help but roar with laughter. Mayfield continued, "When I was healthy, I was starting to get pretty damn good there." He finished with the knockout punch of, "Not my problem anymore."
Mayfield's 100% right here. He gave the Browns what they were seeking for so long, which was a stable and reliable starting quarterback. They decided that wasn't good enough, traded for someone facing dozens of sexual misconduct allegations, who has been an absolute trainwreck of a player for them since arriving in Cleveland, and now have to deal with the consequences of their own actions.
The Browns' loss has been the Bucs' gain and maybe there's another player they'll be waiting to give up on that Tampa can sign and turn into a game-changer.