Baker Mayfield Bio
Baker Reagan Mayfield is an American professional football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Following one season of college football with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, he played for the Oklahoma Sooners, becoming the first walk-on player to win the Heisman Trophy. Mayfield was selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL draft, and he has since set several records during his playing career, including the rookie record for passing touchdowns in a single season. Mayfield set the NFL rookie quarterback record for passing touchdowns during his first year, along with ending a 19-game winless streak for the Browns in his debut. His most successful season with the team was in 2020 when he led the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 2002 and first playoff victory since 1994. Following 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. In 2023, Mayfield joined the Buccaneers, leading the team to two consecutive division titles and a playoff victory. He also earned two consecutive Pro Bowl selections. Mayfield is currently the all-time leader in playoff passer rating.
Early Life and Background
Baker Reagan Mayfield was born on April 14, 1995, in Austin, Texas, to James and Gina Mayfield as the younger of two sons. James, a private equity consultant, encountered financial difficulties during his younger son’s senior year in high school. These struggles forced the Mayfields to sell their home and live in rental homes. Mayfield was given his distinctive name, Baker, which was his mother’s idea, under the condition by his father that he also be named after the 40th U.S. President Ronald Reagan, which became his middle name. 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 at the University of Houston, though he never lettered. 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 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He was offered scholarships by Washington State, Rice, New Mexico, and Florida Atlantic. Mayfield said he easily could have gone to a place like Florida Atlantic, but his dad pushed him to realize that his dream was to play somewhere big. He chose to go to Texas Tech, where he was a walk-on.
Path to American Football
Shortly before the start of the 2013 season, Mayfield was named as the starting quarterback following a back injury to projected starter and former Lake Travis quarterback Michael Brewer. Mayfield was the first walk-on true freshman quarterback to start an FBS season opener at the quarterback position. 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. 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. After his freshman year, Mayfield transferred to the University of Oklahoma in January 2014. 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.
Baker Mayfield Career
Early Career (2018)
The Cleveland Browns selected Mayfield with the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Mayfield signed a four-year rookie contract with the Browns on July 24, 2018, with the deal worth $32.68 million in guaranteed salary. 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 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 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.
Breakthrough (2019-2020)
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. However, the Pro Football Writers of America named him the NFL Rookie of the Year. On the annual Top 100 Players list for 2019, Mayfield’s peers named him the 50th best player in the league. He was named 2018 PFWA All-Rookie, the second Cleveland quarterback to receive this honor since Tim Couch in 1999. Mayfield finished the 2019 season with 3,827 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions as the Browns finished with a 6–10 record. In the 2020 season, Mayfield led the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 2002 and their first playoff victory since 1994. In the Wild Card Round 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. Overall, Mayfield finished the 2020 season with 4,030 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and nine interceptions through 18 total games.
Baker Mayfield Award Nominations
Baker Mayfield has received several award nominations throughout his career, including the prestigious Heisman Trophy and multiple Pro Bowl selections.
Baker Mayfield Awards Won
Baker Mayfield has won notable awards such as the PFWA NFL Rookie of the Year in 2018 and the Heisman Trophy in 2017. He has also been recognized as a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 2023 and 2024.
