“I Had Lost The Joy Of Football”
April 17th, 2024
Baker Mayfield is an emotional cat, a very human dude in a game with a ruthless business side.
Just look at Tampa Bay cutting Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett, who had multiple suitors for solid money as soon as he hit the street.
The NFL is a cold, cold world.
Mayfield wears his emotions on his sleeve sometimes. He’s unafraid to snap at media and he’s quick to note how his feelings about being doubted have driven his career.
“I had lost the joy of football,” Mayfield told In The Current, referring to his football life before arriving in Tampa. Joe assumes Mayfield was talking about his demotions with the Browns an Panthers.
Mayfield also revealed on the Bucs-produced program that on the March day he agreed to re-sign with the Bucs, he believed negotiations had stalled so much that he would be testing free agency in a matter of hours. Mayfield said following a contract-talks update, he told his wife he either needed to take a nap or be outside his house.
Man, that must have been an emotional moment, as Mayfield thought about his 2023 success and the Bucs not meeting his modest (for a quarterback) demands.
Joe thinks it’s cool that the Bucs peeled back the curtain a little to tell a little more of Mayfield’s re-signing story.
Emotional Mayfield is a reason “this Joe” thinks the Bucs would be insane to draft a quarterback in Round 1 this season, if a good one landed in their range. Mayfield is too emotional to deal well with a rookie with stud potential breathing down his neck.
Tom Brady was bitter in New England whenever the team was considering replacing him. Packers QB Jordan Love spoke last year about how life with Aaron Rodgers was difficult but he learned a lot. And those guys were old NFL legends when their jobs were threatened.
Mayfield is 29 and he’s certainly no Rodgers or Brady.
If the Bucs are playing to win now and are eager to keep Mayfield’s head right, then they realistically should want no part of a QB in this draft.
April 17th, 2024 at 9:53 am
If he’s the competitor everyone thinks he is drafting a Qb should have no effect on him. I’ve got to think it would just make him more determined to succeed. Competition brings out the best in all of us, he I’m willing to bet would just say, bring it on.
Not just about saying, “Bring it on!” There’s enough competition for a starting QB in preparation for Week 1, which begins long before game week. Competition is great, but the Bucs also just made him compete last season. At some point — and for some people — it can become counterproductive. –Joe
April 17th, 2024 at 10:04 am
I think he’s earned a couple of years of being the starter barring a total meltdown
April 17th, 2024 at 10:19 am
They better have a damn good backup plan. His style of play is an injury waiting to happen.
Learn to throw OVER the LOS, read a D presanap and not lock into in receiver…if he does this he will not have to fight LB’s.
There is a reason the line became all pro under brady. wake and bake is not in the same solar system. Go Bucs.
April 17th, 2024 at 10:32 am
Don’t draft a QB. By the time these rookies hit their 5th year, Baker will have his 2 rings and be ready to do TV. Then the Bucs can sign one of these QBs that will be toting pads this summer.
The Circle of NFL life.
April 17th, 2024 at 10:46 am
Ahhh, So this is the Joe that watches football.
April 17th, 2024 at 11:14 am
We need too many big, heavy guys to draft QB round 1, or 2, or 3. or at all. We’ve got QBs on the roster. We need a top shelf CB more than we need another backup QB. Watch the games where Carlton Toast Davis played from last year and you will realize that.
April 17th, 2024 at 11:21 am
Baker needs a good team with a great defense to win. Maybe we can give him that this year with a great draft. Our secondary is already better. There’s so many teams desperate for a QB this year somebody really good is bound to fall to us. Even Atlanta with Cousins and The Jets with KAaron might take a flier on a successor for their aging stars.
April 17th, 2024 at 11:32 am
No high or mid round QB please. Bucs cannot afford to waste a premium pick to sit on the bench 2 times in four years. Especially if they want to compete!
April 17th, 2024 at 11:45 am
A LITTLE MORE TO IT …
He found out last year his father and brother stole $10M of his money after making them his investment advisors. That would be a bit of a bummer.
April 17th, 2024 at 11:47 am
I agree with Joe completely. It seems like we put Baker through enough already.
April 17th, 2024 at 11:49 am
We’ve already got a backup quarterback ready to go when called. I forget his name.
April 17th, 2024 at 11:52 am
The QB is by far the most important position on any team sport. They should be drafting one almost every year, not necessarily within the first few rounds, but definitely before the end. This team can wait until rd-7.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:03 pm
JUAN and your many other names. How many points has Trask put on the board when he did get in with the starters? That would be 0. The kicker had to score there too. But go ahead continue your usual Trask crying for a 4th straight year now.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:28 pm
“It seems like we put Baker through enough already.”
wtf???
dude just got a 100 mill contract. he better be prepared to sacrifice limbs
April 17th, 2024 at 12:28 pm
So true SlyPirate. Pretty sad when your dad and brother steals your hard earned money. Not right. I can understand Baker feeling all of those emotions. Cleveland got rid of him and look who they took instead. Big error in judgement on their end.
Baker is our number one QB and I think he will do even better this season. It may be time to welcome another QB at the end of the draft to mentor under Baker too. Unsure what to do with Trask.
April 17th, 2024 at 1:33 pm
Baker is upset that his Brother and Father, after he made them his financial advisors, stole 10 million dollars from him.
Im just mad that my brother doesnt have 10 million dollars!
That slacker- how does he expect me to get ahead!
April 17th, 2024 at 1:34 pm
Son of Trask I don’t care who went to what school. I don’t even watch college ball so I don’t care. I love watching you whine. Pathetic is seeing someone say how great a player is after all preseason scoring 2 TD’s. Always being told Joe said he won a competition but leaving out the rest of what he said. The only reason he could not score more points was because he was not playing with he starters? Let’s see the great people he was playing with he was great enough to be fantastic to get it to the Red Zone. But without the starters not so fantastic? But anyone that does not agree with you is an FSU fan for 4 years now.
April 17th, 2024 at 1:35 pm
Juan,
“. . .As per Joe . . .”
Well, weve discovered only one Joe’s opinion is “informed”
April 17th, 2024 at 1:56 pm
Yeah, the Browns have a way of ruining players. They crapped all over him on the way out the door; “we need an adult in the (QB) room” and you brought in towel boy? It was great to see Baker getting a chance with a coach who believes in him, also great to watch Baker fighting for his new team. Might be some QB’s with more talent (Lamar, Dak, Josh) but nobody has more heart and fight. Maybe why old boy don’t fold in the playoffs like those guys
April 17th, 2024 at 2:26 pm
JUAN Says:
April 17th, 2024 at 11:30 am
Baker’s deep insecurity, borne of being outplayed in training camp by Kyle Trask, is why he insisted on playing the 17th game
—-
I give you some props for name changes David. Going espanol was at least a little creative but in the end its always your content that gives you away.
April 17th, 2024 at 2:27 pm
JUAN – a koala in a vegetative state knows more about football than you.
There is no conspiracy, the NFL is too competitive and Jason wants to win.
Accept the simple truth.
Kyle Trashk is a nice guy, feel good story, and will make one helluva real estate developer.
He just can’t play QB at NFL level.
April 17th, 2024 at 2:28 pm
We have already burned a second round pick on a player that’s never hardly seen the field. Why do it again with a #1?
April 17th, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Has anybody told Ira that Penix is only 3 years younger than Mayfield?
April 17th, 2024 at 2:42 pm
I love these discussions about drafting a Qb at 26 – as if the reason you don’t draft one in the first round that low is because of Baker and not because no clearly healthy great one ever lasts to 26.
Its as if people think 25 other teams would give that QB a pass just to express brotherly love to another GM.
April 17th, 2024 at 4:35 pm
Hate to spend a first round pick on a QB and I think the franchise should be “all in” on Baker for at least one year into the new contract. Now, if an interesting QB prospect is available in later rounds, I hope they select one. Magic can happen: Favre, Purdy, Brady, Gannon, Warner, etc. .
April 17th, 2024 at 4:43 pm
I think Trask is judged to be more than adequate should the need arise. I have heard nothing about the staff being down on him. They certainly have had the time to make an assessment.
April 17th, 2024 at 5:00 pm
I have to agree with some in this chat, no high premium picks on a QB. Maybe the cat from Tulane in round 6 but I don’t see quarterback as a need for us and if we are close as this Joe believes, all of our picks should be for fixing the pass rush and the run game.
April 17th, 2024 at 5:33 pm
I 100% agree with this Joe. OL, OL, WR, RB, DB
April 17th, 2024 at 5:50 pm
Use the rich OL 2024 draft to fix the line. If Tampa does, Baker payoff will be huge. Don’t remember Brady playing behind a weak line. Just fix it!!!!
April 17th, 2024 at 6:11 pm
Boss here is the f. We signed him for $4M and then made him “prove it”. Then he had a real competition with Kyle. Then after the season, they made him wait until almost FA to sign him. I say we put him though enough and THEN accepted him as our QB with a nice contract. There is no sense in making him feel the least insecure now.
April 17th, 2024 at 7:36 pm
Been away for a while, but it looks like most of the nitwits are still around. Keep underestimating Baker because it’s laughable.
April 17th, 2024 at 8:15 pm
What Jaun said!!!! Trask will play this year. If not thats ok too
April 17th, 2024 at 9:57 pm
Baker and 2 rings???? Please put your Bakeraid down you’re embarrassing yourself. He’ll be lucky to ever see the NFC Championship game.
April 17th, 2024 at 10:03 pm
The college landscape has changed. With at will transfers and Million $ NIL deals it has become an independent pro league where teams have very little control over the players. Therefore, p!ayers are staying longer and coming out pro ready. What that means is the NFL does not need to stash and train QBs. Just wait till you need one and grab a 6th year senior such as Penix.
April 18th, 2024 at 4:16 pm
if a good one landed in their range. Mayfield is too emotional to deal well with a rookie with stud potential breathing down his neck.
You prove time and again what a total moron you really are Joe. Somehow Baker was able to keep a stud at bay in the quarterback room at Oklahoma. That stud, Kyler Murray, only won the Heisman Trophy the year after Mayfield won it.
You show no context or reflection in your writing. You grab whatever vagrant emotion you find (probably at the bottom of your 5th glass of beer) as the opinion for the day.
One day you slobber all over Baker Mayfield, the next day you’re dragging the knife down his back. How you stay in business amazes me.
April 18th, 2024 at 5:12 pm
Congratulations Juan. Dumbest comment I’ve seen since I joined this site, and that is saying something. You’re a new level of Traskie.
April 18th, 2024 at 6:59 pm
Yep – JUAN nailed it – we are starting Trask after paying Mayfield $100m.
Brillant
April 20th, 2024 at 4:43 pm
So, pretty much all off my predictions, were right. dbs, are set. they will draft edge, and ol. flier on a safety. but always, I AM THAT MAN, philosphy.
April 20th, 2024 at 4:44 pm
watch the licht video.
April 20th, 2024 at 4:48 pm
family, and blood, always go the extreme. we have both, via blood shed, and family bond, in tampa, with mayfield. intangibles, THAT is the metric