The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced veteran signal-caller Baker Mayfield as their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. Mayfield will start for his fourth team since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 by the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield joined the Bucs on a one-year, $4 million deal in the offseason. He previously played for the Browns, the Carolina Panthers, and the Los Angeles Rams.
Mayfield winning the starting job with the Bucs doesn’t surprise. Although Tampa Bay insisted that it is a real competition between him and 2021’s second-round selection Kyle Trusk, it seemed that it was Mayfield’s job to lose.
Speaking with the reporters about his decision, Bucs’ head coach Todd Bowles said that the coaching staff likes the progress Trusk has made but that Mayfield got the upper hand thanks to his experience.
“Baker’s our starting quarterback, Kyle’s our No. 2,” Bowles said. “We love everything Kyle has done. And he’s gotten leaps and bounds better than he was in the spring, and he’s continuing to get better, and we’re excited about him. But Baker’s our guy right now — experience-wise and just understanding the playbook just a little bit better.”
After spending four years with the Browns, Mayfield was traded to the Carolina Panthers during the 2022 offseason. He played seven games with the Panthers, starting six, before being released by the team. The Oklahoma product was then claimed off waivers by the Rams, where he started four games.
Mayfield completed 60.0 of his passes in 2022, throwing for 2,163 yards, 10 touchdowns, and eight picks.
