Baker Mayfield's NFL redemption arc continues for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it appears he has finally won over one of the biggest media critics of his past.
Colin Cowherd once bashed on Baker Mayfield, calling him reckless and immature. Cowherd did not think he was a good fit in Cleveland, and famously told him to stop doing commercials and focus on football.
Yesterday, Cowherd changed up the conversation. He said he'd vote Mayfield league MVP after leading his fourth game-winning drive of the season in Week 5.
His declaration that Mayfield deserves the NFL's most prestigious award came just a few days after Cowherd formally apologized to Mayfield in a bizarre on-air segment that also featured apologies to Aaron Rodgers and Dan Quinn,
Apparently, Cowherd is ready to clear his conscience and move forward without holding a grudge against Mayfield, who is now one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. He even said he offered Mayfield an opportunity to host a podcast at The Volume, the sports media brand he founded. Mayfield turned him down on that one, obviously.
It is interesting to see the media change up their tune on Mayfield, who was once under constant criticism in a brutal Cleveland media market.
Mayfield himself spoke about it after last week's win. He said the media used to call him immature, but now, when he does the same things, they say he has "moxy." This was in reference to a viral clip that showed Mayfield talking smack against a group of taunting Seahawks fans.
Mayfield has always had a fiery personality, a no-filter attitude, and reckless style of play on the field. It is who he is. And he's right. When he was young, he was criticized for the some of the exact same things he is now praised for, now that he's winning.
Perhaps that's the lesson for young quarterbacks. If you win, they have to respect you. Mayfield has earned it.