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- Baker Mayfield would replace Tom Brady’s vacancy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2023-24 NFL season
- Baker has been an NFL quarterback since 2018, starting with the Cleveland Browns
- Baker has played for three NFL teams in his career, not including the Bucs
Tom Brady officially retired “for good” from the NFL after 23 seasons on Feb. 1, 2023. “I know the process was pretty important the last time around. You only get one super emotional retreat trial and I used mine last year,” he said in the 53-second video he shared on social networks, seen below. “I really thank you very much to each of you for supporting me, my family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. …Thank you guys for letting me live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change anything.
Really grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS
—Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2023
Although fans weren’t convinced he was officially done with football given he retired and then not retired from playing in 2022, the 45-year-old legend has confirmed he is really done play for the NFL. That being said, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers found themselves looking for a new quarterback to hire and, according to multiple reports, they found him. The Buccaneers are close to signing Mayfield Baker to a one-year contract worth up to $8.5 million, per NFL. With the big move reportedly in place, read on to learn more about Tampa Bay’s announced new quarterback, Baker Mayfield.
Baker Mayfield began his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns
Baker Reagan Mayfield, 27, was drafted by the Cleveland Browns first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, starting his NFL career. The Browns had just broken an 0-16 record in 2017 and were only the second team in NFL history to do so. Baker made his mark in the third game of the season after the Browns’ starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor was withdrawn from the game due to injury. Baker ended up turning the losing 0-14 score he received into a 21-17 win over the New York Jets — the team’s first victory since 2016.
Baker then threw for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns this season and even broke the record for passing touchdowns by a rookie, according to his website. He was later named NFL Rookie of The Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.
Baker Mayfield has played on three NFL teams in four years
Carolina Panthers got Baker back after Cleveland started chasing Deshaun Watson, their current QB. Mayfield started the season as a starter but was pulled with an ankle injury in October 2022. He eventually returned to the field but was benched due to poor performance. The Panthers then waived Mayfield, and he was picked up by the Los Angeles Rams in December 2022.
Baker Mayfield is a married man
Baker married his fiancée Emily Wilkinson in Malibu, Calif. on July 6, 2019 after the couple made their public debut in early 2018. A week before their wedding, Emily shared a sweet video with Baker and thought about asking for her hand in marriage. “A year ago today you asked me to spend eternity with you, and next weekend we officially say ‘yes,'” she wrote on June 30, 2019. I truly am the luckiest girl in the world.”
Baker last spoke about their marriage while celebrating their second anniversary with a carousel of snapshots throughout their special day. “2 years,” he captioned the post. “I can’t believe how fast it went. Here’s to dancing and laughing through many more.
Baker Mayfield loves being a younger brother
Baker was born in james And Gina Mayfield in Austin, Texas on April 14, 1995. He has one brother, Matt Mayfield, who is five years older and also grew up playing sports. Baker once confessed that he loved being the baby of the family while wishing his mom a wonderful Mother’s Day in 2021. “Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, but especially this sweet lady!” he captioned the Instagram post above which featured his mother. “I love you mom, thank you for having no more children and making me a middle child.”
Baker Mayfield helped change NCAA rules
After turning down offers from Washington State, Florida Atlantic, and RiceBaker, Mayfield joined the University of Texas Tech football team as a rookie. He became the starting quarterback, and for a reason: By the end of his rookie season in 2013, he had passed for 2,315 yards on 218 completions for 340 and 12 touchdowns, according to his website. However, he quit school once he learned that his success might not earn him a scholarship.
He was later accepted to Oklahoma, but because he was a transfer from another Big 12 school, he lost a year of eligibility to play for the 2014–15 season. Baker and his family attempted to appeal the rule several times, noting that his case should not count because he was an extra at Texas Tech and was never recruited on a scholarship. However, in June 2016 Baker’s rule was passed and a player without a written scholarship offer from the school he planned to transfer from became eligible to play for a new school within the conference without being penalized. .
Baker ended his college career with the 2017 Heisman Trophy, which is the highest honor a college player can receive.
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