Buccaneers 'confident' Baker Mayfield is Tom Brady's successor in Tampa Bay (Exclusive)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, thanks to Tom Brady's admittedly unexpected retirement, were facing a bit of uncertainty at the quarterback position. However, they've decided to give former number one overall pick Baker Mayfield a shot.

Mayfield is not Brady, but the Buccaneers signed him to try and compete with Kyle Trask for the starting job. Mayfield has bounced around but has the ability to play well in the right circumstances.

An NFL insider revealed to Sportskeeda that the Buccaneers are confident in Mayfield's ability to replace the future Hall of Famer:

"League sources tell me Baker Mayfield is the favorite for the starting position at the Buccaneers. The team has been really impressed with how Mayfield carried himself in front of the media and with his attitude ever since checking into the building."

The source added that the newest offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay gives them hope for Mayfield:

"Bucs are confident Dave Canales can turn Baker Mayfield into one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. They feel if Canales can turn around Geno Smith's career, the likelihood of Mayfield succeeding is even higher. The team is confident Mayfield can become the 'Comeback Player of the Year', which would be two in a row for Canales."

Geno Smith saw a career revival under Canales and parlayed that into a three-year, $75 million deal. Can Mayfield do the same with the Buccaneers?

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Baker Mayfield won't try to be Tom Brady

The comparisons will be inevitable, but Baker Mayfield insists he won't try to be Tom Brady.

Via Fox News, the new Buccaneers quarterback said:

"Listen, I'm never going to be Tom Brady. There's a reason he's won so many Super Bowls. He's the greatest of all time. There's no doubt about that.

"I'm not going to try to be Tom. I'm going to be me. That's what has gotten me to this point. We're going to do it differently, but that's what makes this league so special. Everybody puts their own touch on it."

Mayfield will have to replace his production and he faces a tall task in doing so. Brady's cleats are rather large ones to step into. It happened with Cam Newton in New England in 2020, but will Baker Mayfield crumble under that pressure?