The downfall of Baker Mayfield continues to get worse.
The former Cleveland Browns No. 1 overall pick looked like a shoo-in to winning the starting quarterback job in Tampa Bay, but now it appears he might losing ground in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback battle.
Mayfield signed with the Bucs this offseason and appeared to be the front-runner as the franchise transitioned from future Hall of Famer Tom Brady who hung up his cleats for the second time in February.
However, Mayfield cannot seem to fend off former second-round pick Kyle Trask, who has been making some waves during training camp.
“The first couple of days, I think the experience that Baker brings — just playing in games, being in camps, going through installs — you know, you can see where the offense was gelling really well,” Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales told reporters. “The timing of the snap is really critical for us, so probably a little bit of an edge for Baker to start off, just in terms of the smoothness of the offense. But it just took a couple of days for Kyle to really settle in. And then what we saw in the last two practices, Kyle really showed what he can do: stretching the field with his arm, getting the ball out quickly, making decisions. I am really excited about both of those guys and the progression that they have made throughout the last couple of days.”
Canales also had praise on John Wolford, the fourth-year passer signed as a free agent after three years with the Los Angeles Rams.
“Don’t leave John Wolford out of the deal, too,” Canales said. “He wants to make plays and he has his own style of doing it. He brings a lot to the table too, so it is a really good competitive cauldron that we are creating in there.”
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Head coach Todd Bowles said the young quarterback is turning heads with his ability to protect the football.
“Their No. 1 responsibility is don’t turn the ball over,” Bowles added. “And [Trask] has been doing a good job of not turning it over.”
While it’s clear that Mayfield reputation around the league isn’t great, he was under consideration by more than just the Buccaneers this offseason. A contending AFC team reportedly had Mayfield on its radar before he ultimately decided to sign with the Buccaneers and compete for a starting job.
It appears that may have not been a wise decision.
Last offseason, the Panthers took one more hack at solving the quarterback problem via the veteran route by trading a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Baker Mayfield. He was never able to find any success, posting a 1-5 record as the team’s starter throwing for 1,313 yards, six touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing just 57% of his pass attempts.
In five games with the Rams, Mayfield tossed for 850 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 63% of his passes.
If he does indeed lose this starting competition, you may find Mayfield bouncing around the league for many years to come.
