Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield Ranked No. 1 College QB of the 2000s
Baker Mayfield's professional career in the NFL has been a whirlwind. He was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns, leading them to the playoffs, before ultimately being tossed to the side for Deshaun Watson. He then landed with the Carolina Panthers before being let go and eventually picked up by the Los Angeles Rams. Mayfield played at the end of the 2022 season for the Rams and seemed to find his way back to his former self - leading him to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason before helping lead the Bucs to the playoffs.
Mayfield's collegiate career is somewhat similar as there was controversy following his freshman season as Texas Tech's starting QB. He intended to leave Tech due to a scholarship issue with the perception also surrounding that he didn't want a QB competition to begin his sophomore season.
He then transferred to Oklahoma where he joined the team as a walk-on. Mayfield lost his scholarship and eligibility for a single season in 2014 before becoming the Sooners starting QB for the remainder of his collegiate career. During his time at OU, Mayfield set the country and collegiate world on fire with his play along with the cockiness he carried around with himself.
In a recent piece by ESPN, Mayfield's career as a quarterback at the collegiate level was enough to place him as the best quarterback in college of the 2000s.
"Newton, Young and Burrow had the best seasons. Mayfield had the best career.
It began with him walking on at Texas Tech, quickly winning the starting job and throwing for 413 yards in his debut. He lost his job to injury, then traded up, landing at OU. The Sooners hadn't won an outright conference title since 2010, but he led them to three in a row, with three top-five finishes and two CFP bids. His storybook career ended with him throwing and rushing for 4,938 yards and 48 TDs, winning the Heisman and bringing OU to within an eyelash of the national title game. He was so good that, despite non-prototypical size, the Cleveland Browns couldn't resist making him the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft."
Mayfield's career was definitely stunning, and to be above the likes of those who finished behind him - Cam Newton, Vince Young, Tim Tebow, and Joe Burrow - is definitely something to be proud of.
Mayfield is now a free agent after spending 2023 on a team-friendly, one-year prove-it deal with the Buccaneers, but both sides appear to be ready to tie the knot on a long-term extension.
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