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Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield: ‘I’m never going to be Tom Brady’
Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: 'I’m never going to be Tom Brady',New Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield knows he's replacing a living legend on the roster but has insisted he isn't trying to follow in that man's footsteps.

Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield: ‘I’m never going to be Tom Brady’

New Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield knows he’s replacing a living legend on the roster but has insisted he isn’t trying to follow in that man’s footsteps. 

“Listen, I’m never going to be Tom Brady,” Mayfield said during his introductory news conference on Monday afternoon, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “There’s a reason why he’s won so many Super Bowls. He’s the greatest of all time — there’s no doubt about that. I’m not going to try to be Tom. I’m going to be me. That’s what’s gotten me to this point. We’re going to do it differently.” 

Mayfield added that “it’s an honor to follow up somebody like that” with the Buccaneers or any team. 

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (h/t Eric Edholm), Mayfield and the Buccaneers agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $8.5M that includes a $2M signing bonus. Simmons wrote that the contract also carries $2M in guaranteed salary. 

It’s been said that Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles “hopes” Mayfield can replace Brady atop the depth chart over 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask. 

Armando Salguero of Outkick and Fox News previously wrote that Bowles originally wanted to land Mayfield while serving as head coach of the New York Jets ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft, but Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht suggested last week that Mayfield and Trask will “compete for the starting job” this summer. 

Mayfield experienced a plethora of ups and downs featuring for the Cleveland Browns from 2018 through the 2021 season before he was traded to the Carolina Panthers last summer. His disastrous Carolina tenure didn’t even last through Christmas Day, but he later enjoyed some success during a brief stop with the Los Angeles Rams.

Per ESPN stats, Mayfield ended this past regular season dead last among qualified players with a 24.5 adjusted QBR and 33rd out of 34 quarterbacks with a 60.0% completion percentage. In 12 games and 10 starts, the 27-year-old tossed 10 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. 

“An organization like this, that’s had success, obviously, for a while and in recent years as well — it was important to me to be in a place that’s stable and knows how to win, knows how to do it properly,” Mayfield said Monday about the Buccaneers. “I’ve gotten to see different things from my journey that’s not exactly how I drew it up. But, it’s helped along the way, especially to make a decision like this. And I want to go somewhere that we can win right away and this is that place.” 

Brady guided the Buccaneers to three straight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl victory before his latest retirement. As much as Mayfield wants to “win right away” with Tampa Bay, he’ll first have to earn the QB1 gig over Trask.