Baker Mayfield is used to facing high expectations, something he learned to deal with as a Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mayfield is learning to live with low expectations. Many analysts predict the Bucs will not match last season’s ho-hum 8-9 record. And several sportsbooks give the team long +8000 odds to win the Super Bowl.
Mayfield met with reporters Tuesday and set the record straight: He doesn’t care about the preseason projections for the Buccaneers this season.
“I played in this division last year, and pretty sure the Bucs won it still,” Mayfield said. “I don’t really care what the people in Vegas are putting odds on it because it’s May. We haven’t played a real snap of football. There’s a long way to go before that. It’s just the time of year where everybody’s pretty bored, and they don’t really have much to talk about. It makes it fun.
“This is a great group. It seems like a no B.S. squad that’s all about winning.”
#Bucs QB Baker Mayfield, on his team being 30th in the ESPN NFL power rankings, says he played in the NFC South a year ago and was pretty sure Tampa Bay won the division. “It’s May..” he said. pic.twitter.com/2IkjmngwfB
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) May 23, 2023
Despite the Bucs’ depleted roster, Baker Mayfield is getting a fresh start in Tampa Bay. Although he had a couple of good seasons with the Cleveland Browns, he hasn’t matched what he did as a college star. Mayfield split time with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams last season, tossing ten touchdowns, eight interceptions, and 180 yards per game in 10 starts.
[NFL.com; Photo credit: Tampa Bay Buccaneers]
