Baker Mayfield’s ascension from castoff to MVP candidate says a lot about personal growth

If you’ve ever lost a job, you know how much that sucks. While big money can take away some of the sting, no amount can soothe the blow to your ego.

In pro sports, failure is a part of the business. Players know this, and a substantial salary is part of the tradeoff for having the entire world know about their failure. We all want to believe that something good will come after an embarrassing moment.

We would all love to be Baker Mayfield.

The 2018 No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns has been traded, waived, and given up on. Look at him now. Mayfield has ascended from castoff to a contender. His comeback story says a lot about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ coaching staff, the offensive talent around him, and Mayfield himself. In year three as a starter for the Buccaneers, Mayfield is enjoying a career-best season in terms of QBR. He has surprisingly emerged as the very definition of an MVP.

This isn’t a case where the quarterback has been a caretaker, boosted by a great defense and running game. The Buccaneers (4-1) have trailed in the final minute of the fourth quarter in every game. Mayfield has been at his best when his team is behind. When trailing, he has a 119.4 passer rating. Tampa Bay is the first team in NFL history to win four of its first five games and have all of the victories come by three or fewer points.

In last week’s 38-35 victory at Seattle, Mayfield was 29 of 33 for 379 yards and two touchdowns. Only two guys in league history have thrown for 375 yards with fewer than five incompletions in a single game: Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning.

Many of us guffawed when Tampa took a one-year flyer on Mayfield in 2023 to replace Tom Brady. It seemed ridiculous that he could even be a viable starter after being released by the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams. But since joining the Buccaneers, Mayfield has improved every season. He has done so despite three offensive coordinators in as many years. He has done so despite wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. missing time due to injury.

His sustained high level of play is the clearest sign of growth and maturity for a quarterback once labeled as being too cocky. Tampa Bay is gunning for its fifth straight NFC South title, and no one would have predicted that after Brady’s retirement. Mayfield also represents great value in a salary-cap sport. In 2024, he signed a three-year, $100 million deal. That’s a bargain when you consider the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension with Trevor Lawrence in June. Mayfield’s relatively low salary allows the Buccaneers to devote money to other players on the roster.

Mayfield’s comeback story would be boosted if he won the MVP. BetMGM has him with the third-best odds behind favored Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. However, some of his statistics are better than those of past recipients Allen and Mahomes. Plus, voters can be fickle and sometimes choose someone who hasn’t won the award before.

Even if he doesn’t get the MVP, Mayfield has proved that being ousted from your first job doesn’t mean your career is over.