Baker Mayfield could wind up replacing Tom Brady in Tampa Bay

Baker Mayfield played for two teams in 2022 after the Cleveland Browns moved on and could be reunited with his former offensive coordinator from 2019

There was a time when Baker Mayfield appeared ready to turn the Cleveland Browns franchise around.

He led them to their first win in 635 days and gave the good people of Cleveland free beer in the process. Two years after the Victory Fridge was broken open, he led them to an 11-5 campaign and a playoff win over the Steelers.

Then, it all came crashing down in 2021 when a shoulder injury started his downfall with the Browns. He was eventually replaced ahead of the 2022 season and played for both the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.

Now in 2023, there’s a chance he could have a new home — and this time, he would be replacing a legend.

With Tom Brady retired (again), Mayfield has emerged as an option for Tampa Bay, at least according to Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com.

Stroud said Mayfield “absolutely” could be an option and pointed out the Bucs were looking at him last season when Brady was briefly retired. He also added that one thing that comes into play with this decision is who they hire as offensive coordinator.

"“I think a lot of it depends on who the [offensive] coordinator is, but listen, they were looking last year for quarterbacks when Brady was out for those 40 days and Baker was on that list.”"

Baker Mayfield could re-join a former OC

One of the names that have been involved in that offensive coordinator search is Todd Monken. Currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Georgia, Monken recently interviewed with the Bucs. Monken was employed by Tampa Bay from 2016 through 2018 before he headed to Cleveland in 2019.

That season ended up being a dumpster fire for the Browns as Freddie Kitchens was clearly in over his head. Even so, reports suggest that Monken was a huge fan of Mayfield’s, so a reunion could be likely.

Mayfield struggled with the Panthers and was 1-5 with six touchdowns and six picks. He was released and landed with the Rams, where he surprisingly won a game despite being there for just two days.

In all, he had 850 yards with four touchdowns and two picks in four games for the Rams. He looked much better with them than he did the Panthers, but there are still a lot of questions surrounding him as a long-term starter.

But that doesn’t mean teams won’t roll the dice, and Tampa Bay could be the next to do so.

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