Baker Mayfield's New Number with Buccaneers Unveiled
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield to a one-year deal last month. It's clear that the former No. 1 overall pick is coming into Tampa with the goal to beat out Kyle Trask for the starting quarterback Job. Whether that comes to fruition remains to be seen after Mayfield struggled during his tenure with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams last season.
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On Friday, the Buccaneers unveiled Mayfield's number with the upcoming NFL Draft only a couple of weeks away. He'll have a familiar digit on his chest in 2023 as Mayfield will be moving back to No. 6. Prior to his stint with the Rams where he donned No. 17, he'd worn the number since his college days at Oklahoma.
Numbers essentially mean nothing but they also mean everything. For some players, their number can be a superstition or a sign of good luck. We'll see if the change, coupled with the fact that he's fighting for his career, lights a fire under Mayfield in 2023.
Mayfield spent his first four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, completing 1185/1924 of his passes (61.6%) for 14,125 passing yards with 92 touchdowns to 56 interceptions. He added five more scores on the ground. That included a 2020 campaign where he tossed 26 touchdowns to eight interceptions.
The Browns traded Mayfield to Carolina last summer after acquiring Deshaun Watson. After struggles early in the year that saw former coach Matt Rhule fired, the Panthers ended up releasing him and he was picked up by the Los Angeles Rams.
Due to injuries, Mayfield ended up taking over as the starting quarterback late in the season. Over four games, he completed 63.6% of his passes for 850 passing yards with four touchdowns to two interceptions. He led the Rams to a 98-yard game-winning drive against the Las Vegas Raiders in the final two minutes, finishing off an epic comeback.
New offensive coordinator Dave Canales built Geno Smith into a Pro Bowl quarterback last year. He'll have an opportunity to do something similar with Mayfield, who still possesses the ability to compete at the highest level.
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Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 offseason.
