Who Does Baker Mayfield Play For?

Five years ago, Baker Mayfield was the quarterback that went number one overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Being the number one selection in the entire draft sends out hope that the player will be the next biggest star in the game. Unfortunately in this case, Mayfield has not lived up to his billing and is now seeking to work his way back to the top.

Before we take a look at his brief career in the NFL till now, it’s important to understand a little bit about the background he has come from. As a young kid born in Austin, Texas, Baker fell in love with the game from his childhood days. Always wanting to make it big in the game, Baker tried hard to earn the starting spot as a quarterback but was for the most part the backup everywhere he went.

While in college, he first attended Texas Tech University but after one year of good football, the staff did not believe in him to hand over the starting job. So, he left the Red Raiders football team and went to the University of Oklahoma where he was forced to sit out one year on account of ineligibility. However, he earned the QB1 role from the next year and never looked back. He had three amazing seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners football team, making the Heisman trophy finals in his junior and senior years while winning it in 2017 as a senior. His three year strong showing in college football bumped him up the ladder and was rewarded with the number one overall selection.

What team is Baker Mayfield on?

Looking for a team that would provide him the starting position, Baker has currently signed a one year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield’s career trajectory has seen a slow slide and he should have been in a better position by now considering he is a former number one pick overall. The Bucs have provided him with a lifeline and we will soon find out how he fares. One thing is for certain, though, at this stage of his career, he will need to come firing out of the gates in 2023 else he could be in jeopardy of losing his role yet again.

Baker Mayfield with the Browns

Baker’s NFL journey began in 2018 when the Cleveland Browns drafted him with their first overall pick. This was a Browns team desperately in need of a top quarterback talent. Just a couple of games into his rookie season, Mayfield got the starting job and improved the team to a certain degree. On an individual level, he had the best rookie year in history as he threw for over 3,700 yards and 27 touchdowns all in just 14 games.

In 2019 when the Browns signed Odell Beckham Jr., it looked like the quarterback and wide receiver duo could lead the Browns to a Super Bowl but unfortunately, they couldn’t make it work and Mayfield actually was worse than the previous year. Year three though was much more positive as the Browns made the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Going further, the Browns even won the wildcard round against their rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was their first win in the postseason since 1994.

But as they say, good things don’t last and that's exactly what happened in 2021. Mayfield had an injury problem and wasn’t playing his best. Moreover, there was also a problem with his star wide receiver Beckham Jr. as the latter’s father stirred up a controversy on social media when he shared a video calling attention to the quarterback’s bad throws and on-field decisions. Eventually, at the end of the season, Cleveland decided to look for more options and signed Deshaun Watson.

Baker Mayfield with the Carolina Panthers

Once the Browns acquired Watson, Baker Mayfield felt betrayed and demanded a trade. As a result of which he was shipped off to the Carolina Panthers for the 2022 season. Fighting for the starting role once again, Baker was able to prove his worth and gained the QB1 spot. Feeling that his fortunes would change for the better, Baker was looking forward to a good season. It was still not to be as he fell to a 1-5 record in his six starts which had only 6 touchdowns and the same number of interceptions. Moreover, things went downhill so quickly that 13 games into the season the Panthers abruptly released him from the team in less than six months.

Baker Mayfield with the Los Angeles Ram

Getting cut from the roster mid-season as he did in Carolina is not an ideal situation for a player to be in. Having said that, Mayfield was quite lucky as he was immediately snapped up by the Los Angeles Rams the very next day as a replacement for the injured Matthew Stafford. Things didn’t go according to plan with the Rams as well. With a dismal 1-3 record for the Rams last year, and with Stafford almost certainly regaining his starting role, Mayfield once again left for pastures new.