Tampa Bay GM Reveals Baker Mayfield's Kind Gesture for New Teammate Emeka Egbuka

Mayfield rolled out the welcome mat for his team's first-round draft pick.
Then-Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka on March 26, 2025.
Then-Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka on March 26, 2025. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield wasted no time welcoming his team's first-round draft pick—wide receiver Emeka Egbuka—to the team over the weekend, general manager Jason Licht said Tuesday.

Speaking during an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio, Licht revealed how Mayfield and his wife went the extra mile for Egbuka and his family just after the draft.

"He immediately asked me for Emeka's number and he said, 'When is he getting in?'" Licht said of Baker's reaction to the pick. "And we flew in Emeka and his family on Friday, and on Saturday morning, Baker and his wife picked them all up and took them out to brunch just to ... get to know them. He didn't have to do that. And he probably doesn't want me even telling anybody that. He does that under the radar without wanting any fanfare for it."

Licht also noted how Mayfield likely wasn't "anticipating getting any new toys for his offense," so he was extremely excited by the prospect of adding Egbuka.

"I sent him a text before we turned the card in, I said, 'You're going to like this one.' And I got an immediate [expletive] back that meant he was very, very happy," the GM shared.

Indeed, Egbuka, drafted with the No. 19 pick out of Ohio State, could be a fun new target for Mayfield. The 22-year-old wideout recorded 1,011 total receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last season, and on the championship team, no less.

All in all, it's nice to see Mayfield, a fellow first-rounder, rolling out the red carpet for one of his rookies.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.