SI

Baker Mayfield Had Heartwarming Message for Bryce Young After Panthers-Bucs OT Clash

Mayfield knows what it's like to be a doubted former No. 1 overall pick.

Mike Kadlick

Mayfield's Buccaneers beat Young's Panthers 26-23 in overtime.
Mayfield's Buccaneers beat Young's Panthers 26-23 in overtime. / Screenshot via @NFL on X.
In this story:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers played one of the tightest contests of the Week 13 slate on Sunday afternoon with Tampa Bay sneaking away with a 26-23 win in overtime.

After the game, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield found Panthers quarterback Bryce Young at mid-field and shared a heartwarming message with the young signal caller.

"I'm so proud of you dude," Mayfield told him.

Young has had quite the roller coaster second season in the NFL. After a trying 0-2 start to 2024 that found him on the bench in favor of veteran Andy Dalton, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick has enjoyed a nice bounce-back over the last five games.

Since re-entering the lineup in Week 8, Young has looked much more comfortable under center. He's completed just over 60% of his passes for 1,082 yards and six touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions. Most importantly, the 23-year-old has added two more victories to the win column.

Mayfield knows all about the trials and tribulations of being the No. 1 overall pick, so to see this message from him is pretty cool. The former 2018 first-rounder is on his fourth team in seven seasons and is just now seeing the fruits of his labor—being the beneficiary of a $100 million contract this offseason after throwing for a career-high 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2024.

As for Young's Panthers, they were in scoring position on Sunday before a Chuba Hubbard fumble gave the Buccaneers the ball back with 5:03 to go in overtime. A Chase McLaughlin walk-off field goal sealed it for Tampa, bringing the Bucs to 6-6 and Carolina to 3-9.

More of the Latest Around the NFL

feed

Published
Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a breaking/trending news writer at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He graduated from Boston University with his Master's in 2021. Mike is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

Home/NFL