"Tampa Bay Buccaneers name quarterback Baker Mayfield the Week 1 starter."
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will start Baker Mayfield at quarterback in their Week 1 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
Mayfield replaces Kyle Trask as starting quarterback. Head coach Todd Bowles named Mayfield as Tom Brady's successor at the beginning of the season.
I just have to do the best I can and the reality is there," Mayfield said."It's an exciting time. "
The 28-year-old Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, enjoyed a successful college career at the University of Oklahoma and won the Heisman Trophy in 2017. Many NFL scouts believe Mayfield does not have the physical tools to be an NFL quarterback. But that didn't stop the Cleveland Browns from selecting him with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Mayfield led the Browns to an 11-5 record and a victory in the 2020 playoffs. The Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the playoffs but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round. That was her peak under Mayfield. In 2021, they were 8-9 and missed the playoffs due to Mayfield's shoulder injury.
In 59 games with the Browns, Mayfield compiled a 29-30 record as a starter. He threw 92 touchdowns and 68 interceptions, completing 61.6 percent of his passes.
Mayfield’s last chance
The Browns passed on Mayfield last summer and committed to Deshaun Watson. They traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers, where he is expected to compete with Sam Darnold for the starting job.
When Darnold injured his ankle in the preseason, Mayfield was tabbed to start. In six starts with the Panthers, Mayfield went 1-5 before being benched by Darnold.The Panthers beat Mayfield in December.
The Los Angeles Rams signed Mayfield late in the season when Matthew Stafford was injured. Mayfield went 1-3 as the Rams' starter and made a comeback against the Las Vegas Raiders, earning his first start on "Thursday Night Football." hair. Despite that initial success, Mayfield lost his next three games.
Mayfield became a free agent this offseason and headed to Tampa Bay when Tom Brady eventually retired. He signed a one-year deal worth $4 million, but there are incentives that could allow him to earn up to $8.5 million.
Coming into training camp, Mayfield was expected to compete with Trask for the No. 1 quarterback spot. Mayfield, who passed Trask for the starting job in the preseason, will now play quarterback for his fourth different team in the past three seasons.
Baker is our starting quarterback and Kyle is our No. 2," Bowles told beat reporters."We like what Kyle does, but in terms of experience and understanding of the playbook , Baker is our guy now. "
"I want to be the starter," Mayfield said. "I know how talented I am and what type of leader I am. Now it's time to do something real."
"Baker, in general, can throw the ball, he's very smart, he understands the football very well, he can read defenses and he's a great fit for the scheme that we use," Bowles added.
Now back up again...
Trask, a second-year player out of Florida State, is a late second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He set Florida's single-season touchdown record with 43 in 2020. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist and finished fourth in the voting behind Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama's Mac Jones.
Brady started all three seasons with the Buccaneers. Trask only appeared in one game as Brady's backup last season, completing only 33.3% of his passes and scoring no touchdowns.
Kyle is on the rise," Bowles said."He's made leaps and bounds from the spring and is doing better and better and we're excited about him. "
If Mayfield fails, Bowles won't hesitate to give Trask a chance. Based on what the organization says about Trask, they believe he is the quarterback of the future. But he's not quite ready yet.
John Wofford spent the past three seasons as a backup with the Los Angeles Rams and is currently the Buccaneers' No. 3 quarterback.
BETTING ON THE TAMPA BAY FUTURES MARKET
The Buccaneers recently lost wide receiver Russell Gage to a knee injury. But they still have two great receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Buccaneers are the defending NFC South champions. They lock up a playoff berth with an 8-9 record as the NFC South is the worst conference in the NFL in 2022. The Buccaneers are a long shot at +800 to win the NFC South.
The New Orleans Saints are the consensus favorite to win the NFC South at +120 odds. The Atlanta Falcons have a +215 chance to win the division title as future bettors place a heavy value on rookie running back Bijan Robinson. The Panthers, one of Mayfield's former teams, have a +450 chance to win the division.
The Buccaneers enter the season with a 6.5 win/under overall record, the lowest in the NFC South. According to DraftKings' proprietary betting, the Buccaneers are the favorite to miss the playoffs at -500. You can back the Buccaneers to qualify for the playoffs at +400 odds.
The Buccaneers open the regular season as a +6.5 underdog in the United States against the Vikings. Banks Stadium in Week 1.
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