The 'Comeback' kid: Baker Mayfield does it again

If there's anybody that knows about succeeding through adversity, it's Baker Mayfield. And the 2023-24 NFL season might’ve been his most impressive season yet.

After playing for three different franchises in his first five seasons, the former OU Heisman Trophy winner earned one last shot at an NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs were tasked with replacing legendary quarterback Tom Brady, who retired last offseason, and they signed Mayfield to a one-year, $4 million contract.

Mayfield didn’t just succeed. He led the Bucs to an NFC South title and a playoff win.

For his standout season, Mayfield was named as a finalist for the Associated Press’ Comeback Player of the Year award.

Mayfield is joined by Rams QB Matthew Stafford, Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, Bills safety Damar Hamlin, and Browns QB Joe Flacco as finalists for the award.

The winner will be announced at the 13th annual NFL Honors ceremony on Feb. 8, 2023, which will air live on CBS and NFL Network and stream on Paramount+ and NFL+.

It’s yet another achievement for Mayfield, who’s had an up-and-down career in the NFL since being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft.

After taking over as the starting quarterback for one of the most maligned teams in NFL history — a team that went 0-16 in the year prior — Mayfield broke the Browns' 19-game losing streak after taking over for an injured Tyrod Taylor. Down 14-0, No. 6 led Cleveland on a 21-17 comeback victory over the New York Jets. The Browns finished 7-8-1 in Mayfield's inaugural NFL season, their best record since 2007.

Despite the vast improvement, Cleveland just couldn't get things right with the coaching staff, with Mayfield playing for three different head coaches in his first two seasons: Hue Jackson (fired in Week 8 of 2018), Gregg Williams (interim in 2018), and Freddie Kitchens in 2019, which ended in a 6-10 record, and a sophomore slump for the second-year quarterback.

Then, under his fourth head coach in three seasons (Kevin Stefanski), Mayfield and the Browns made the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2002 after going finishing the regular season 11-5. Add to that an AFC Wild Card victory over the Steelers — Cleveland's first playoff win since 1994 and first road playoff win in 51 years — and all things pointed towards the former Sooner cementing a long career with the Browns.

That's not how things played out though.

The Browns exercised Baker's fifth-year contract option for the 2022 season on April 23, 2021, worth $18.9 million guaranteed. Then, on October 7, it was reported that Mayfield was playing with a partially torn labrum, which he reaggravated in Week 6. The 2021 season was one riddled with injuries, and after Cleveland was eliminated from playoff contention, they announced that Mayfield would have surgery to repair the torn labrum and was placed on injured reserve on January 5, 2022.

It was during that offseason that Cleveland made a "blockbluster" trade for Deshaun Watson, giving him a five-year, $230 million, guaranteed contract. Mayfield requested a trade after that and was sent to Carolina for a fifth-round pick ahead of the 2022 season.

In what was undoubtedly the most frustrating year of his career, Mayfield started six games for the Panthers (1-5 record) before being released and then picked up by the Los Angeles Rams. He had some good moments under head coach Sean McVay, but ultimately went 1-4 as a starter and became a free agent after the 2022 season.

In a make-or-break situation for Mayfield's career, the Bucs took a chance on Mayfield, and he delivered. He led Tampa Bay to a 9-8 record and their third-consecutive NFC South title while completing 64.3% of his passing attempts for 4,044 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, posting a 94.6 passer rating.

The 2023 season provided career highs for Mayfield in passing yards (ninth in the NFL), touchdowns (seventh in the NFL), and completion percentage. On top of that, Mayfield led the Buccaneers to a 32-9 NFC Wild Card victory over the reigning NFC Champion Philadephia Eagles.

The Bucs did eventually lose to the Detroit Lions, 31-23, in the NFC Divisional Round last weekend, ending an unexpectedly successful story for both Mayfield and the franchise. Mayfield's season appears to have earned him a long-term spot on his team too, as he's not only won over the fanbase but also his locker room and coaching staff. When asked if he'd earned the right to return in 2024, Tampa Bay Head Coach Todd Bowles didn't hesitate.

"He [Mayfield] most definitely has. Obviously, it's too early to talk about that and business is business, but Baker had a hell of a year. We love him. The guys love him. And we'll see what the future holds," Bowles said.

In a career full of comebacks and proving doubters wrong, it appears that Baker has once again won the love and trust of his peers, coaches, and fans, which should come as no surprise if you've followed him for any length of time.

"I love this group," Mayfield told reporters after Sunday's loss. "Obviously, who knows how it's going to play out, but I can't say enough about this organization and the opportunity they gave me this year. Just thankful, and I hope it works out."

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