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Baker Reagan Mayfield (born April 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2017, becoming the first walk-on player to ever win the award. He was selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL draft.
Mayfield set the NFL rookie quarterback record for passing touchdowns during his first season, along with ending a 19-game winless streak for the Browns in his debut. His most successful season with the franchise was in 2020 when he led the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 2002 and first playoff victory since 1994. Due to a performance decline and conflict with Browns management, Mayfield was traded from Cleveland in 2022, spending the year with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.
Mayfield joined the Buccaneers ahead of the 2023 season, leading the team to two consecutive division titles and a playoff victory, as well as earning Pro Bowl honors and setting career highs in consecutive years. Mayfield is currently the all-time leader in playoff passer rating.
Mayfield grew up as a fan of the University of Oklahoma; he attended a number of their games during his childhood. His father played football for three years for the University of Houston, though he never Varsity letter.
Mayfield was the starting quarterback for the Lake Travis High School Cavaliers football team in Austin. He led Lake Travis to a 25–2 record in two seasons and won the 2011 4A State Championship. He finished his high school football career totaling 6,255 passing yards, 67 , and eight interceptions. He was offered scholarships by Washington State, Rice University, New Mexico and Florida Atlantic. Mayfield said "I easily could've gone to a place like Florida Atlantic, but my dad pushed me to realize that my dream was to play somewhere big." He chose to go to Texas Tech, where he was a walk-on.
In his first start against SMU, Mayfield passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns. His 43 completions of 60 attempts broke a school record held by Billy Joe Tolliver, and fell only four completions short of the NCAA Division I FBS single-game record for completions by a freshman, held by Luke McCown. For his performance, Mayfield was named Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week – the first freshman Texas Tech quarterback to be named so since former Red Raider head coach Kliff Kingsbury in 1999. The game featured the last four former Lake Travis quarterbacks combined on both teams: Garrett Gilbert, Michael Brewer, Collin Lagasse, and Mayfield.
Following the Red Raiders' second victory over Stephen F. Austin, Mayfield's 780 season yards and seven touchdowns already exceeded the 755 yards and six touchdowns accrued by Texas Tech's last true freshman quarterback, Aaron Keesee, in 10 games. After being affected by a knee injury and losing the starting job to fellow true freshman Davis Webb, Mayfield finished the season with 2,315 yards on 218-of-340 completions with 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
Mayfield was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy in November; the award is given to the best player in Division I football who began his college career as a walk-on.
Mayfield earned Big 12 Conference Freshman Offensive Player of the Year for the 2013 season. Mayfield announced that he would be leaving the program due to a "miscommunication" with the coaching staff.
In February 2014, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops confirmed that Mayfield would be walking on for the Oklahoma Sooners. Mayfield was not eligible to play until the 2015 season, and he lost a season of eligibility due to Big 12 Conference transfer rules following an unsuccessful appeal of his transfer restrictions.
Mayfield finished the year with 3,700 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, a résumé which propelled him to fourth place in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Mayfield helped lead Oklahoma to the 2015 Orange Bowl, which served as the semifinal for the 2015 College Football Playoff. However, Oklahoma lost to Clemson by a score of 37–17.
In December 2016, it was announced that Mayfield and his top receiving target, Dede Westbrook, would be finalists for the 2016 Heisman Trophy. It was also announced that they would play in the 2017 Sugar Bowl. Mayfield ended up finishing third in the Heisman voting.
In the 2017 Sugar Bowl, Mayfield helped lead the Sooners to a 35–19 victory over Auburn. He finished the game with 19 completions on 28 attempts for 296 passing yards and two touchdowns, earning him the MVP award.
On November 4, 2017, Mayfield threw for a school-high 598 yards against in-state rival Oklahoma State. Mayfield finished 24-for-36 with five passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, and Oklahoma won the game by a score of 62–52. Mayfield completed his career 3–0 as the starting Oklahoma quarterback in the Bedlam Series.
In November 2017, Mayfield was under fire again after an interaction during the game against Kansas. After Kansas players refused to shake his hand pregame, and following a cheap shot by a Kansas defender, Mayfield was seen grabbing his crotch and mouthing "Fuck you!" at the Kansas coach on the sideline, and told the fans to "Go cheer on basketball." In response, Mayfield issued another public apology. Days after the 41–3 victory over Kansas, Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley announced that Mayfield would not start or be the captain during the upcoming game against West Virginia due to his actions against Kansas.
On December 2, 2017, with the return of the Big 12 Championship Game after a six-year hiatus, Mayfield led Oklahoma to its third straight Big 12 championship, with Oklahoma beating the TCU Horned Frogs 41–17. Mayfield won MVP honors while Oklahoma clinched a second playoff berth in three years. A month later, the Sooners lost to the Georgia Bulldogs 54–48 in the 2018 Rose Bowl, which served as the national semifinal game.
On December 9, 2017, Mayfield won the 2017 Heisman Trophy with a sweeping majority. He received 732 first-place votes and a total of 2,398 points. This amount translated to 86% of the possible points and the third highest percentage in Heisman history. In addition, Mayfield became the first and only walk-on player to ever win the Heisman Trophy.
Officials from Oklahoma asked Texas Tech officials to authorize Mayfield's immediate eligibility, but Texas Tech officials objected and declined the request before granting a release in July 2014. Mayfield was thus forced to sit out the 2014 season, while also losing one year of eligibility, as required by the rules.
On June 1, 2016, the Big 12 faculty athletic representatives voted against a rule proposal that would have allowed walk-on players to transfer within the conference and not lose a year of eligibility. The next day, the rule proposal was amended to allow walk-on players, without a written scholarship offer from the school they are transferring from, to transfer within the conference without losing a season of eligibility. The faculty athletic representatives approved the amended proposal with a vote of 7–3. The rule change made Mayfield eligible to play for Oklahoma through the 2017 season. Texas Tech voted in favor of the rule.
Mayfield played in his first NFL game in Week 3 against the New York Jets, replacing an injured Tyrod Taylor with the Browns down 14–0. Mayfield went 17 of 23, passing for 201 yards as the Browns came back and prevailed 21–17, ending their winless streak at 19 games. Mayfield became the first player since Fran Tarkenton in 1961 to come off the bench in his debut, throw for more than 200 yards, and lead his team to its first win of the season.
Mayfield started for the first time in the Browns' next game, making him the 30th starting quarterback for the Browns since their return to the NFL in 1999, in a 45–42 overtime loss to the Oakland Raiders. In Week 5, Mayfield threw for 342 passing yards and one touchdown as he earned his first victory as a Browns starter, in a 12–9 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 10, Mayfield led the Browns to a 28–16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. throwing for 216 yards, three touchdowns, and a passer rating of 151.2, with no turnovers. The following week, Mayfield led the Browns to their first away win since 2015, against the Cincinnati Bengals. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 258 yards and four touchdowns. In Week 12, in a 29–13 loss to the Houston Texans, Mayfield passed for 397 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Mayfield bounced back in the following game, a 26–20 victory over the Carolina Panthers, going 18 of 22 for 238 passing yards and one touchdown.
In Week 16, Mayfield completed 27 of 37 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in a 26–18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, earning him American Football Conference (AFC) Offensive Player of the Week. He also won the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week fan vote for the sixth time. On December 29, Mayfield was fined $10,026 for unsportsmanlike conduct during the game. As reported by The Plain Dealer, Mayfield "pretended to expose his private parts" to Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens after throwing a touchdown to tight end Darren Fells. Kitchens later defended the gesture as an inside joke between the two. Mayfield's agent Tom Mills said they would appeal the fine. On December 30, in the regular-season finale against the Ravens' league-best defense and fellow rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, Mayfield threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns, but his three costly interceptions — one of which came at the hands of linebacker C. J. Mosley with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter while attempting to drive the team into range of a game-winning field goal attempt — ultimately contributed to a 26–24 loss.
Nonetheless, Mayfield helped lead the Browns to finish the season at 7–8–1, their best record since 2007. He finished with 3,725 passing yards, and surpassed Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson for most touchdowns thrown in a rookie season with 27.
While Mayfield was considered by many to be the favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2018, the award was won by Giants running back Saquon Barkley. On the annual Top 100 Players list for 2019, Mayfield's peers named him the 50th best player in the league, one spot behind teammate Myles Garrett. He was named 2018 PFWA All-Rookie, the second Cleveland quarterback to receive this honor since Tim Couch in 1999.
Mayfield threw two touchdown passes in a game for the first time that year in a Week 10 victory against the Buffalo Bills, completing 26 of 38 passes for 238 yards with two TDs, including the game-winner to Rashard Higgins, as the Browns snapped a four-game losing streak with a 19–16 win. Four days later, against the Pittsburgh Steelers and former Big 12 Conference rival Mason Rudolph, Mayfield recorded his first career win against Pittsburgh, accounting for three total touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing), as Cleveland won 21–7. In Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins, Mayfield threw for 327 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the 41–24 victory. In Week 17 against the Bengals, Mayfield became the first Cleveland Browns QB to start all 16 games in a season since Tim Couch in 2001. In the game, Mayfield threw for 279 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions as the Browns lost 33–23. Mayfield finished the 2019 season with 3,827 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions as the Browns finished with a 6–10 record.
Mayfield was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on November 8 after being in close contact with a person who tested positive for the virus, and was activated three days later. In Week 13 against the Titans, Mayfield completed 25 of 33 passes for 334 yards. His four touchdown passes all came in the first half, as the Browns defeated the Titans by a score of 41–35. Mayfield's four first-half TDs tied Otto Graham for a franchise record. Mayfield came close to throwing six first-half TDs, as Peoples-Jones dropped a would-be touchdown, leading to a field goal, and running back Nick Chubb wrapped up the scoring with a one-yard run near the end of the first half after Mayfield completed a 17-yard pass play to Rashard Higgins, setting up Chubb for the score. The Browns scored on all six of their first half possessions. The victory gave the Browns a 9–3 record, clinching the Browns' first winning season since 2007. Mayfield was named the FedEx Air player of the week for Week 13. In Week 14 against the Ravens, Mayfield threw for 343 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception as well as rushing for 23 yards and a touchdown during the 47–42 loss. In Week 16 against the Jets, Mayfield lost a fumble on fourth down with 1:25 remaining in the game while attempting a quarterback sneak during the 23–16 loss. In Week 17, Mayfield and the Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24–22 and earned their first playoff berth since 2002, at which time Mayfield was seven years old. The Browns finished the 2020 regular season 11–5.
In the against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mayfield went 21 of 34 for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns during the 48–37 win, leading the Browns to their first playoff victory since the 1994 season, the year before Mayfield was born. It was also the Browns' first playoff road victory in 51 years, way back in 1969. In the of the playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs, Mayfield threw for 204 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception during the 22–17 loss.
Overall, Mayfield finished the 2020 season with 4,030 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and nine interceptions through 18 total games. He was ranked 71st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
In the 2022 offseason, after the Browns traded for quarterback Deshaun Watson and signed him to a contract extension, Mayfield requested that the team trade him.
Mayfield competed against Sam Darnold for the starting position with the team. On August 22, 2022, Mayfield was named the Week 1 starter for the Panthers for their game against the Browns. Against the Browns, Mayfield threw for 235 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the 26–24 loss despite a late rally. Mayfield suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Panthers' Week 5 loss to the 49ers, which made him miss the next week against the Los Angeles Rams. Mayfield returned and backed up P. J. Walker starting in Week 8. In the Week 9 game against the Bengals, the Panthers were trailing 35–0 at halftime behind a disastrous start by Walker; Interim Head Coach Steve Wilks inserted Mayfield for the second half, in which he threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns in the 42–21 loss. Wilks announced that he would return to Walker as his starting quarterback for Week 10.
With a 1–5 record, Mayfield later requested his release from the Panthers, which was granted on December 5, 2022.
In a Week 15 Monday Night Football matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Mayfield threw his 100th career passing touchdown. In a Week 16 matchup against the Broncos, Mayfield led the Rams to a dominant 51–14 win while completing 24 of 28 pass attempts for 230 yards and throwing for two touchdowns.
Mayfield would later credit his five-game stint with the Rams for rejuvenating his career following the disappointment of his time with Carolina. “It brought the fun back. When I’m having fun, talking trash, and enjoying it, like that’s when I’m my best. Yeah, I needed that,” Mayfield said.
In Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, Mayfield went 3 for 11 to start the game, but soon thereafter threw a touchdown to end the first half. After that, Mayfield went 18/23 for 110 yards and a touchdown for the rest of the game, including a crucial scramble for a first down to secure a 20–17 victory. In Week 2 against the Chicago Bears, Mayfield went 26 for 34 for 317 yards and one touchdown in a 27–17 win. His 76% completion percentage for this game narrowly marked the best completion rate of his career at that point, in any of 33 games with 33+ pass attempts. Before that, his 75.8% completion rate on December 6, 2020, in a win against the Titans while on the Browns, had been his highest completion rate. This was also the first time in his career that Mayfield had started 2–0. In Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mayfield went 15/25 for 146 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, his first turnover of the season. He had one rush for 2 yards and fumbled once, which was recovered by Tampa Bay. Mayfield was also sacked twice.
In Week 15 against the Packers, Mayfield posted a perfect passer rating, completing 22 of 28 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns in a 34–20 win. He was the first opposing quarterback to ever have a perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field. He was named the National Football Conference (NFC) Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. In Week 18 against the Panthers, Mayfield led the Buccaneers to a 9–0 victory, clinching the Buccaneers' third straight NFC South title. Mayfield concluded the season with 28 touchdown passes, 4,044 passing yards and a 64.3% completion rate, all career highs. He earned his first Pro Bowl nomination.
In the game against the Eagles, Mayfield completed 22 of 36 passes, for 337 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He led the Buccaneers to a 32–9 win over the defending NFC champions. In the against the Detroit Lions, Mayfield completed 26 of 41 passes for 349 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The second interception proved costly as it allowed the Lions to run out the clock as the Buccaneers lost, 31–23.
In a 41–31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7, Mayfield threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns, but he threw a pair of costly interceptions in the first half and lost receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the latter of whom ruled out for the season. Without his top receivers, Mayfield still completed a career-high 37 passes the following week against the Falcons. He finished with over 300 yards and three touchdowns for the third straight game but threw two interceptions inside the Falcons' 10-yard line as the Buccaneers lost 31–26. Mayfield cut down on his interception miscues and led last-minute game-tying drives against the Chiefs and 49ers, but the Buccaneers lost both games, dropping to 4–6 heading to their bye week. With the return of Mike Evans following the bye, Mayfield had an efficient game against the Giants, completing 24 of 30 passes for 294 yards, no interceptions, and a rushing touchdown as the Bucs won 30–7, snapping their four-game skid. Against the Panthers in Week 13, Mayfield rallied from an Achilles injury and a poor first half to lead Tampa to a game-winning field goal drive in overtime.
Mayfield's play continued to improve with three touchdowns in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders, followed by a near-flawless performance against the league's top-ranked Los Angeles Chargers defense, completing 22-of-27 passes for 288 yards and four touchdowns in a 40–17 victory. In Week 17, Mayfield was 27-for-32 for 359 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes in a 48–14 win over the Panthers, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Needing a win against the Saints to clinch the NFC South, Mayfield led three touchdown drives in the second half and rallied his team from a double-digit deficit to secure their fourth straight division title. Mayfield finished the season completing 71.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 passing touchdowns, becoming the fourth player in NFL history to have at least 4,000 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns, and at least a 70% completion percentage in a single season. He also tied with Kirk Cousins for the most interceptions with 16 and fumbles with 13, both of which led the NFL.
Mayfield helped lead the Buccaneers to a playoff berth. In the NFC , Mayfield led two touchdown drives and two drives that ended in a field goal. In that game, Mayfield threw for 185 yards completing 83.3% of his passes. The Buccaneers' season ended in the Wild Card Round with a 23–20 loss to the Washington Commanders.
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In July 2019, Mayfield married Emily Wilkinson. In December 2023, the pair announced they were expecting their first child, a girl, who was born in April 2024.
During his tenure with the Browns, Mayfield starred in a continuing series of ads for Progressive Insurance. The ads showed him living "at home" in FirstEnergy Stadium with his wife and performing household chores like mowing the lawn and holding a yard sale.
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