Buccaneers Officially Name Starting QB for Week 1 vs. Vikings

Baker Mayfield, as expected, will get the start for Tampa Bay at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 10th.

Author:
Will Ragatz
Publish date:
Aug 22, 2023 6:23 PM EDT

In this story:

Baker Mayfield will start at quarterback for the Buccaneers when they come to U.S. Bank Stadium to play the Vikings in Week 1, Tampa Bay announced on Tuesday.

This was the expected outcome of the Bucs' QB competition. Mayfield, who signed a one-year deal this offseason, beat out Kyle Trask to replace the retired Tom Brady as QB1 for Todd Bowles' team.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2018, Mayfield spent four years with the Browns but didn't live up to the hopes that he'd become their long-term franchise quarterback. He went 30-31 as a starter in Cleveland (including a 1-1 playoff record), completing less than 62 percent of his passes with a rating of 87.8.

Mayfield signed with the Panthers last season and was their Week 1 starter, but he struggled mightily and got hurt in Week 5. He was released in December after going 1-5 as the Panthers' starter. Mayfield was claimed off waivers by the Rams and made four starts down the stretch for Los Angeles.

Now the former Heisman Trophy winner will make his third consecutive Week 1 start for a different team.

Despite Tampa's talented roster on defense and at the skill positions, Mayfield being their starting quarterback is the main reason why their Vegas win total is just 6.5. They're currently 6.5-point underdogs against the Vikings on September 10th.

Here's a highly-subjective ranking of all the quarterbacks the Vikings are projected to face during the 2023 season: