Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has made the most of his time in Tampa thus far, but one thing remains for him.
And a former teammate, Robbie Chosen, believes Mayfield can do it — win a Super Bowl. Chosen, formerly known as Robbie Anderson, played wideout for the Carolina Panthers the year Mayfield played for the team in 2022.
“He was only signed there for probably a week, and by Day 1 of training camp, he knew the whole offense,” Chosen told the hosts of NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Tuesday. “He has a strong arm. He has all levels of his game,” Chosen said of Mayfield. “He knows how to get guys going. He plays with that energy and that chip on his shoulder. But definitely, I believe he’s a Super Bowl quarterback.”
Baker Mayfield Dug Out of 2022 Nightmare
GettyBaker Mayfield had his low point in Carolina before his time with the Buccaneers.
Mayfield wasn’t his best in Carolina nor that entire year. The former No. 1 pick had a career-worst season where the Panthers released him, and a late-season spark with the Los Angeles Rams led to his chance to turn things around with the Buccaneers in 2023 on a one-year deal.
Mayfield came to Tampa Bay with the dubious task of turning around his career and replacing Tom Brady. The former Oklahoma star and Heisman Trophy winner did just that with a 64.3% completion rate for 4,044 yards passing and 28 touchdowns versus 10 interceptions.
Mayfield led the Buccaneers to an NFC South title and the divisional round of the playoffs, and the Buccaneers rewarded him with the $100 million contract. He continued that success in 2024 as he completed 71.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns versus 16 interceptions, which led to another NFC South crown and playoff appearance.
‘It’s Not Always The Player’
Mayfield’s career trajectory had not gone as planned when the Cleveland Browns selected him No. 1 in 2018, but Chosen wouldn’t pin Mayfield’s past on him.
“Baker’s situation has showed that sometimes, it’s not always the player,” Chosen said. “He wasn’t in the best situations, then got to Tampa and flourished and showed that he was a No. 1 pick in the draft and he has that capability.”
Mayfield had a strong start to his career with the Browns where he led the franchise to its first playoff appearance since 1994. The Browns opted to send Mayfield to the Panthers in 2022 and traded for Deshaun Watson.
Cleveland hasn’t been back to the playoffs since while Mayfield has been there twice with the Buccaneers. Before Mayfield’s time in Tampa Bay, he never threw for more than 3,827 yards and 27 touchdowns in a season.
Mayfield had talented receivers to work with in Cleveland such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. While both Beckham and Landry have their share of success, they didn’t have the longevity of success that Buccaneers wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have enjoyed for eight seasons together in Tampa.
Evans has 11-consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, and Godwin is a consistently strong performer amid 7,266 career yards and 39 touchdowns in eight years. That said, Mayfield kept the Buccaneers winning in 2024 despite injuries to Evans and Godwin.
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