This season, Baker Mayfield took over as the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the retirement of legendary quarterback Tom Brady. And while there is no replacement for a player as legendary as Brady, Mayfield handled the role quite well.
During a postgame press conference following the team’s division-round loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles made it clear that he thinks Baker Mayfield “did a heck of a job” this season after the retirement of Tom Brady, though he would not characterize Mayfield as “taking over” for Brady.
“He didn’t take over for Tom,” Bowles said in his postgame press conference. “Tom retired and Baker became a new quarterback on a new team with a new offensive coordinator. He took over for himself.
“We built it differently, we ran it differently, it was run differently around him and again, we can’t compare Baker to Tom. Tom is Mount Rushmore. Tom is off on his own. We started a new system with new guys and new energy and Baker carved his own mark. I’m proud of him for that.”
Mayfield had just a one-year contract with the team this season, meaning if he’s going to return to the team next season, the team will need to offer him a contract extension. But based on the way he played this season, that certainly seems likely.
