Bucs' Mayfield: I'm never going to try to be Brady
Quarterback Baker Mayfield won't try to emulate Tom Brady to achieve success with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season.
"I've always been myself. That's kind of why people either love or hate me," Mayfield told The Athletic's Mike Jones. "I do it my own way. And I enjoy doing it. I have fun while I'm doing it. ... I respect (Brady) completely, but I'm not going to ever try and be him. I'm not built like him. I don't play like him. So just, yeah, try to be the best version of myself."
He added: "Everybody talks about Tom's gone. Yes, he is the greatest quarterback to ever play. But football is the greatest team sport in the world. And so it takes a lot more than just one person. And there's a lot of good pieces here. And, yeah, they were banged up last year. I think everybody's hungry and ready to go."
Mayfield is competing for the starting quarterback role against 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask. The winner of the training camp battle will step into the starting position once occupied by Brady. The future Hall of Famer led Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl in his first season with the franchise in 2020. Brady announced his retirement in February for the second time in as many offseasons after the Bucs finished the 2022 campaign with an 8-9 record and lost in the wild-card round to the Dallas Cowboys.
Head coach Todd Bowles echoed Mayfield's comments about the team not needing either of its passers to imitate their legendary predecessor.
"We have two different types of quarterbacks, and we're not trying to ask them to be nobody but themselves, and we have guys around them who can make plays," Bowles said.
Mayfield joined Tampa Bay after signing a one-year, $4-million contract in March. Despite Mayfield finding himself on his fourth team since 2021, he's attempting to prove he can still be a starting option in the league.
The 2018 first overall pick appeared set to be the face of the Cleveland Browns after throwing for 26 touchdowns against eight interceptions and helping them end an 18-year playoff draught in 2020. However, Mayfield hasn't produced a winning record in any season as a starter since.
The Oklahoma product spent the first four seasons of his career with the Browns before suiting up for the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
Mayfield has thrown for 16,288 yards, 102 touchdowns, and 64 interceptions while posting a 86.5 career quarterback rating. He's also compiled a 31-38 mark as a starter and has played in two postseason games.
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