Baker Mayfield is one of the great redemption stories in the NFL today. He went from No. 1 overall pick to ousted from his franchise — the Cleveland Browns — in just four years, despite winning the team’s first playoff game in nearly 30 years. He then lasted just seven games with the Carolina Panthers before landing with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
Despite Mayfield’s NFL success, some believed that his journeyman jump from the Panthers to the Rams — who were in desperate need of a quarterback due to a Matthew Stafford injury — could have been the end of the road for him as a starting quarterback.
Mayfield went 1-3 with the Rams, including a win just two days after signing with the team, while posting decent numbers and earning a one-year prove-it deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — who had just lost Tom Brady to retirement — in 2023.
He then went on to throw for 4,000 yards in his first season in Tampa Bay, earning himself a three-year, $100 million contract to be the Bucs franchise quarterback. He’s been a Pro Bowl selection in both of his first two full seasons and, in all likelihood, will have Tampa Bay in the playoffs in three straight years. And he believes it’s his time with the Rams, who he plays against this Sunday night, that helped revive his career, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk:
“There is no way for me to sugarcoat it — it was pivotal in my career and in my journey,” Mayfield said. “I’ve told you guys that it helped me find the fun in football again — that joy. And just, getting to learn from those guys. Obviously, it looks a lot different now that Raheem Morris is gone, Zac Robinson [is gone], Liam [Coen is gone], but Sean [McVay has] been there the whole time.
“They helped me out and helped me discover what offense I really want to play in, and the responsibility that comes with [it] — a lot of accountability at the line of scrimmage and to check and get to the right plays. Yeah, it was instrumental in my career, something I am forever grateful for, and it will be fun to go back and see some familiar faces.”
To go from No. 1 overall pick to journeyman to potentially losing his status as a starting quarterback in just five years could not have been easy. But the way he bounced back to be what he is now has been remarkable to witness. And it seems Sean McVay and the Rams played a massive role in turning him around.
There is plenty of mutual respect between McVay and the Rams, and Mayfield and the Bucs. The matchup between the two on Sunday will be filled with that, even with both teams needing wins to stay in their place in the NFC playoff picture.
Rams place multiple major contributors on IR
The Rams announced a handful of roster moves on Wednesday, including placing tight end Tyler Higbee, offensive tackle Rob Havenstein and safety Quentin Lake on injured reserve. That means all three of them will miss at least the next four games.
The Rams had been relatively healthy through the first half of the season, but the injury bug is now hitting them hard after a physical Week 11 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks that they came out on top of.
The hope is that Higbee, Havenstein and Lake will all be back sooner rather than later, but the Rams will need to manage without them for at least four weeks. Higbee suffered an ankle injury while Lake dislocated his elbow and Havenstein is dealing with both ankle and knee bursitis.
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