Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield details 'growth' after failed Panthers stint

New Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has discussed his "growth" following a tumultuous 2022 that involved a stint to forget with the Carolina Panthers.

"When I had to take the back seat in Carolina and just, 'How can I affect our team? How can I help us win in whatever role or capacity I’m in? You know, I know I have a lot to offer. I’ve played a lot of ball. But I know I’m a great teammate, so how can I help this team win?'" Mayfield told host Andrew Siciliano during an NFL Network appearance, per the JoeBucsFan website. "And that was a huge thing for me to not be the starting quarterback but also still helping us win, and how can I continue to push everyone else around me through that process. It was definitely teaching me patience (laughs), not something that comes naturally for me but I enjoyed it."

The Cleveland Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans last March and later sent Mayfield to the Panthers in July. Mayfield learned Carolina's offense quickly enough to defeat Sam Darnold in a summer quarterback competition, but things mostly went downhill for the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft after that victory.  

Mayfield missed time with a left ankle sprain, played poorly when healthy and was ultimately demoted on the depth chart until the Panthers released him on Dec. 5. The Los Angeles Rams were the only team to place a waiver claim for Mayfield, and he rewarded them with some solid play over four starts and five appearances. 

In total, Mayfield completed 82-of-129 passes (63.6%) for 850 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions for the Rams. 

Mayfield joined the Buccaneers on a modest one-year contract that reportedly could be worth up to $8.5M. He insisted while speaking on Monday that he is "never going to be Tom Brady," but it's thought Mayfield is the favorite to serve as Brady's immediate successor over 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask later this year: