Buccaneers hope Baker Mayfield can replace Tom Brady

While it’s still early days for their first regular season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht seems hopeful that quarterback Baker Mayfield will be the long-term replacement for retired legend Tom Brady.

“You can’t just pluck Tom Brady off the tree,” Licht recently told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “But right now, we’re really excited. (Mayfield) has a lot of people in town, a lot of fans … and he’s not doing it in a fake way. He feels accepted and wanted. We all just want to To win.”

Brady retired “permanently” in February of this year and never said he would return to the Buccaneers for another season, as he did in March 2022. Licht eventually signed Mayfield to a one-year, “prove it” contract in March, earning him the title of No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The 2018 NFL Draft pick will join 2021 second-round pick Kyle Rask is vying for the starting job, and some believe the club’s offseason actions are proof that the club is “slowing down” the 2023 campaign without Brady.

Mayfield and company never received such a memo. He’s led the Buccaneers to a 3-1 start and ranks sixth among eligible players in the NFL with an adjusted QBR of 70.1 and a passer rating of 101.5, according to ESPN. Eight, with a passer rating of 69.6%, ranking seventh. Complete percentage.

Licht believes Mayfield has the right mentality to potentially replace Brady on the depth chart after both the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers previously deemed the 28-year-old Mayfield to be beyond the pale. Top of the list.

“He always has a chip on his shoulder,” Licht said of his QB1. “Now he wants to revive his career. Everyone is dismissive of him and says he’s terrible.”

Former NFL quarterback and current trainer/coach Jordan Palmer made similar comments earlier this week, saying Mayfield has the ability to silence doubters when he’s “off the board.” As of Thursday afternoon, OddsChecker had the Buccaneers as a three-and-a-half-point underdog against the 4-1 Detroit Lions at home on Sunday.

At any point this fall, people might want to think twice about betting on Mayfield and his Buccaneers.