Was Buccaneers Quarterback Baker Mayfield Nearly 'On His Way Out' Last Season?

An NFL analyst believes Baker Mayfield's Buccaneers tenure was nearly cut short after team's slow start.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered a world of unknowns a season ago. Tom Brady retired from the team a second time, which actually stuck this time around, and there was uncertainty at the quarterback position.

Entering training camp, Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask had a quarterback battle. Mayfield signed on a cheap one-year deal to essentially bet on himself. That seemed to pay off, as he won the team's starting quarterback job. Some, though, think that he was close to losing that job at some point in 2023.

FOX Sports analyst and former Buccaneers wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson took to FS1 many times this week to continually say how Mayfield was close to losing his starting job this past season.

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“Baker Mayfield was almost on his way out of Tampa Bay mid-year,” Johnson said on the show. “He was on his way out of Tampa Bay. He turned things around again in Tampa Bay. But in the middle of the year, there was questions about whether or not he was going to be benched for Kyle Trask.”

The Buccaneers were 4-7 at that point in the season. After starting the season off 3-1 in their first four games, the team then went 1-6 in their next eight games. Benching Mayfield for Trask would have only driven the team's record down more, ensuing a rebuild with draft position in mind. 

It's hard to imagine Mayfield being benched at that point in the season, given the 5-1 finish that led to the Buccaneers NFC South victory and eventual defeat over the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs.

Mayfield finished the season with 4,044 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He's due for a big, long-term contract as he extended his career as an NFL starting quarterback. Had he gotten benched, Mayfield's future as a quarterback in the NFL would have been shaky, as his reputation heading into the season wasn't anything to be desired by teams around the league.

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