Baker Mayfield lost his biggest weapon this year in free agency, as Mike Evans spurned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans in surprising fashion, choosing instead to pursue Super Bowl glory with the San Francisco 49ers. And he was not the only one to do so, as Logan Hall and Jamel Dean are among the other high profile free agent departures for a Bucs team that suddenly has to worry about their status next season after missing out on the playoffs in 2025.
The Bucs have mostly made smaller moves so far in the market, beefing up their defensive line and adjusting some of their backup positions. They replaced Rachaad White, bound for the Washington Commanders, with Kenny Gainwell, who should actually be a higher upside all purpose back for the Buccaneers.
And they took a similar approach to the quarterback position. The Bucs let Teddy Bridgewater walk, as he is more of a name than a passer at this point, having performed horrendously against the Los Angeles Rams when Mayfield went down with an injury. His replacement? The less proven but perhaps more intriguing Jake Browning, formerly Joe Burrow's (and Joe Flacco's) backup with the CIncinnati Bengals.
Jake Browning joined because of Baker Mayfield
According to Browning himself, via FOX Sports's Greg Auman, Baker Mayfield is a huge reason why he chose to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Per Browning, he drew up a list of teams he would like to join in free agency back at the beginning of the year, and the Bucs were actually right at the top of his wish list. He said he has, "Always been a fan of Baker Mayfield from afar."
Browning will never be confused for Mayfield any time soon, and he struggled to an 0-3 record last season with a QB Rating in the low 70s. But a couple of years ago, Browning had a winning record in seven starts in 2023 at 4-3, and he posted a QB Rating of around 98 with a QBR of 60, making him an above average passer at that time.
So Browning has more in the tank than Bridgewater, whose arms and legs looked totally shot under center for the Bucs. While Browning had some terrible film in 2025 and has very little to show for being almost 30 in the NFL, he definitely is not worse than what Bridgewater has to offer, and maybe working with a quarterback he looks up to in Mayfield will help him if it is time for his number to get called.