Longtime Buccaneers rival gives big praise to Baker Mayfield

It's rare that players from a heated division rivalry, like the one between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints, complement each other. But even Saints linebacker Demario Davis has respect for Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Davis has been a thorn in Tampa Bay's side for some time now, joining up with the Saints in 2018 and being a part of numerous staunch defenses during the height of the two team's rivalry — especially from 2020-22, when Tom Brady played for the Bucs. Now, though, the former All-Pro recently appeared on NFL Network's good morning football, and he had some strong words of praise fo Mayfield and the way he's revitalized his career in Tampa Bay with the Bucs.

Saints star Demario Davis gives his props to Baker Mayfield

New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) during training camp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Davis started off by mentioning how much he likes a good underdog story, and Mayfield certainly fits the part. Mayfield was drafted by the Browns in 2018 — one year after Davis left Cleveland himself — and then played four years there before being ousted by the Browns in favor of Deshaun Watson. Mayfield had a rough stint with the Carolina Panthers before a short stop with the Los Angeles Rams caught the attention of Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, who brought him to Tampa Bay where he's played since 2023.

Mayfield has put up career years with the Bucs, and Davis, who gets a front-row seat to his play two times a year, has taken notice.

"I'm a big fan of Baker Mayfield. I'm a guy who likes to see the underdog adversity story be overcome... it's not about what happens to you in this world, but how you respond to it. And Baker is a representation of that," Davis said. "He's had many highs in his life, many lows, but now it's going very well for him. He has Tampa rolling."

David also went into what it takes to play Mayfield and this Buccaneers team. It isn't just him your dealing with, but head coach Todd Bowles and the many weapons the team has at its disposal makes any divisional game a tough one for Davis and the Saints.

"Every time we get a chance to go against Baker and Todd Bowles, we already know what it's gonna be," Davis said. "That defense is about to be loaded, they're gonna come out swinging — they got Mike Evans outside, trying to stop him, it's going to be a hard day. And Baker, he's running the show. He has his moment, he's all in it, and he's the ultimate competitor. "

"The ultimate competitor"@demario__davis on divison rival Baker Mayfield #Saints #WeAreTheKrewe pic.twitter.com/PDtY33vpxj
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) August 11, 2025

The Saints and Davis will get another look at Mayfield and the Buccaneers in Week 8 of this season in Tampa Bay before another showdown in New Orleans in Week 14.

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