Mark Wahlberg “Infatuated” With Baker Mayfield
February 8th, 2025
Lots of nuggets come from Media Row at the Super Bowl. Joe’s got a bunch to share over the next few weeks.
It’s a place where the entertainment world and the NFL cross paths a bit and Joe got this one from the Dumb Zone podcast.
So actor/comedian Jeremy Piven, the Entourage star, is a big football fan and explained on this show that he loves Baker Mayfield and called him “one of the real ones.”
Naturally, Piven was then asked how Mayfield got on his radar.
“You know, doing Entourage, and [Mark] Wahlberg is infatuated with him. I don’t know how I got on his radar; I was somehow in Cleveland doing [standup] shows. … And I was in Cleveland and just connected with Baker when he was playing with them. And he’s one of these guys who like came out to the show. He shows up. He’s not one of these guys who says, ‘I’ll be there,’ and doesn’t show up.”
Piven went on to ramble about Mayfield’s drive and football IQ.
The tide certainly is turning for Mayfield when it comes to national perception. No, not because some Hollywood dudes have a man crush. Mayfield has gone from castoff joke in the minds of national NFL pundits to a quarterback worthy of a degree of respect.
A strong 2025 season from Mayfield should remove the unwarranted lingering stink and doubt from the all national conversations about him. At that point, the Bucs might have a beloved and bonafide celebrity as their franchise QB.
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February 8th, 2025 at 8:49 am
The stink should have been removed already. The guy’s a baller.
Agreed. –Joe
February 8th, 2025 at 8:50 am
2 years left on his contract…. The market is going to be sizzling hot!
February 8th, 2025 at 9:27 am
Proud to have Mayfield as my QB.
February 8th, 2025 at 9:29 am
Agree that the stink should be removed already. He wasn’t a terrible quarterback in Cleveland by the way. He did some unprecedented things there but the organization is a disaster. Is only time he really looked bad was the brief temporary gigs until the Rams. Then we got him and he’s a baller.
February 8th, 2025 at 9:32 am
Beloved and bonafide celebrity as their franchise quarterback. The Envy will be off the charts for old Rod 😃
February 8th, 2025 at 9:55 am
baker has been cookin’ in the pot since his arrival
February 8th, 2025 at 10:58 am
Lots of talk of Baker not having back to back solid years. Well what now? Can we get an article on that? Thanks Joes!
February 8th, 2025 at 11:03 am
Love Baker just need him to do better in the playoffs because regular season he comes off hot real hot in the playoffs. He’s OK but he needs to do much better.
February 8th, 2025 at 11:03 am
One thing I’ll never doubt is BA’s assessment of QBs. He championed heavily and saw what others (including most of us on this here website) didn’t.
February 8th, 2025 at 11:31 am
this is the window. we have a number of pieces that will fade in the next year or two but for now we are relatively few pieces and depth away. go all in on the defense and let’s contend with bake at the helm!
February 8th, 2025 at 12:43 pm
I love Bake. Nothing more to say.
February 8th, 2025 at 12:53 pm
Positives in this article:
1. Mayfield will be even better next year.
2. Mayfield has 2 more years on a contract paying $15M less than what he’d get elsewhere as a free agent.
3. Jeremy Piven decided to quit acting and stick to comedy.
February 8th, 2025 at 1:24 pm
EL HEFE…….
Baker Mayfield holds the ALL TIME highest playoff QB rating in NFL.History, minimum 5 starts…….but needs to be better in your eyes.
OK
February 8th, 2025 at 2:02 pm
I blame the neo-Browns organization and a lazy media for the stink. The Browns leaked or left unchallenged all sorts of negative stuff about Baker, professionally and personally to justify the Watson debacle. (Can you believe they chose Watson over Mayfield on character issues?) The media just picked it up, amplified it, and broadcast it, without verification. Social media included. Yes, Baker has undergone a natural progression and maturation, but he was always solid in his situations. No one did better in the environments he faced. He even brought hope and enthusiasm to Browns fans. Unfortunately, that brought out envy and hostility among destructive, even self-destructive, types. Happily he has now found a place where talent and performance are appreciated and encouraged.
February 8th, 2025 at 2:27 pm
Hell yea! We got us a QB in TB! I haven’t been this excited about a QB since Doug Williams!
February 8th, 2025 at 2:49 pm
I hardly saw any Cleveland games during his time unless they were primetime.
The reason I don’t understand how the media got so down on him was because even not seeing him much.. 2 things were clear…
First QB to take the Browns to the playoffs in 20 years is impressive
He was clearly playing with a bum shoulder one of his last full years there.
Knowing those 2 things … I didn’t necessarily think he was as good as he has been for us but it’s wild that people wrote him off that fast.
February 8th, 2025 at 2:58 pm
Ari Gold is only infatuated with himself.
February 8th, 2025 at 3:03 pm
If people don’t understand
How unbelievably lucky we are to have Baker….Then there are fools.There is a handful of really good quarterbacks in the NFL…but baker is my favorite quarterback to watch play…zero question…he’s a bulldog
February 8th, 2025 at 3:26 pm
Love that 6 landed in Tampa. As a guy that’s been a life long Sooners fan I always wanted him to land in Tampa as I’ve been a fan of them since the Warren Sapp days when I was a kid. Sooners in Tampa seem to workout pretty well, historically.
February 8th, 2025 at 4:18 pm
I live in CLE, loved the Browns till the Deshaun nightmare. What the front office did to Baker was a terrible injustice & disrespectful. I love what he’s doing in Tampa. I try to grab every game I can.
Go Bucs!
February 8th, 2025 at 6:03 pm
Love Baker. No way not to.
February 8th, 2025 at 6:30 pm
LouisFriend
The criminal charges against Piven might have had something to do with that..
February 8th, 2025 at 6:47 pm
It’s hard to see how anyone cannot like Baker. We were lucky and so is he lucky too. He will be a franchise quarterback here until he retires. He’s a top 10 QB. now about that pass defense.
February 8th, 2025 at 7:08 pm
Algo didn’t like that I said I love Baker. Whatever.
February 8th, 2025 at 7:15 pm
Whatever happened to “MostlypeacefulTraskfan”?
No I don’t wish to rag him about Baker’s success. I’d like to know if he still believes Trask is an NFL quality QB.
AGAIN…the Bucs need a GOOD backup given the wreckless abandon we all admire from Baker. He’s almost a certainty to miss some games, not a knock but a nod to is courage. I wouldn’t want him to change a thing. Just want he and the Bucs to be prepared if one of those CHEAP shots (I’ve seen several now) put him next to Dean in the training room.
I respect Trask’s arm but is his style too outdated. A drop back passer with a great arm but suspect wheels in a league that is increasingly going to QB who can throw AND run. Baker can play that style. Trask would have the advantage of familiarity but can he execute an offense that was designed for Baker.
I honestly do not know but I sure would like to see another NFL level QB and certainly not some kid from the draft.
February 8th, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Childhood was east of Cleveland so I have no choice but to watch all their games. Baker was in perfect trajectory to be what he is now (despite Browns 2.0 front office incompetency) till they added Odell. He got intimated by the star power and tried to adjust his game. It dropped his performance and started a spiral in confidence. The above media comments are right and maybe all his commercials didn’t help, but what is he supposed to do as a man in his 20’s say no? It’s all dumb. Take a 40k foot view and he is what he is all along: a number one overall draft pick qb we got for nothing and I’m not sure we even deserve. Still. I’m not sure he will ever be a classic 5 step drop back read the defense and rip it super bowl qb. Too often sees things that are not there.
February 8th, 2025 at 7:33 pm
The entire experience with the Browns and the media was fairly typical of the mess in Cleveland. Mayfield played the entire 2021 season with a shoulder injured in the second game of the season. He struggled through the 2021 season and immediately had surgery at end of season. While he was recuperating, the Browns pulled the worst trade in professional sports history, giving Houston 3 1st round draft choices for a guy who was never going to play another down for a team he walked away from. Meanwhile the arrogant Browns cast Mayfield aside to the second worse NFL franchise, Carolina Panthers. Baker requested his release from Carolina, joined the Rams with Matthew Stafford injured. Tampa signs Mayfield in 2023 and he proved that he is a Top 5 NFL QB. Meanwhile the always dysfunctional Browns are dealing with a $235Million guaranteed QB flop. Happy for Baker. Wonder why the “media” doesn’t tell the truth about the idiocy in Cleveland with ownership and management?
February 8th, 2025 at 7:39 pm
Baker’s our guy. Tampa Bay helped him as much as he has helped us. I appreciate Browns fans coming on board the Pirate Ship . The TAMPA BAY BUCS are so much more than 1 player!!!! GO BUCS!!!!
February 8th, 2025 at 8:09 pm
Forget about the browns i did why can’t u baker is still growing after what Goff did in the playoffs he stunk up the field think we’re r good with mayfield at 1/2 price
February 8th, 2025 at 8:22 pm
I have been a fan of Baker since he walked on and took the starting QB job at Texas Tech then at Oklahoma and I loved him when he planted that flag on the Ohio State field. I was a Browns fan since Leroy Kelly took over the starting running back position when Jim Brown retired and I could not believe it when my 2 favourite players in the draft Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb were both drafted by the Browns. All was fantastic untill the intentional attempts to destroy Bakers career and reputation in hopes it would pave the way for bringing in the loser who they replaced him with. I don’t even respect him enough to call him by name. I have not watched a Brown’s game since Baker left. I am now a Bucs fan and will be a long as Baker plays for them. He is one of the toughest most exciting players in the league to and it is a privilege to watch him play.
February 9th, 2025 at 4:26 am
Good stuff – Piven and Wahlberg love Baker! And Baker went to Piven’s comedy shows in Cleveland. Love hearing it all. We are so lucky to have a guy like Baker as our QB.
February 9th, 2025 at 7:56 am
say hi to your mother for me, ok?
February 9th, 2025 at 9:07 am
“Should’ve been Jameis.” -Rod Munch, in a padded room at some mental facility
February 9th, 2025 at 9:13 am
Has anyone heard from Trask to the Stupid lately?
February 9th, 2025 at 11:45 am
Saskbucs Says:
February 8th, 2025 at 2:49 pm
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Baker was sensational in 2020 season with Browns. Took the team to playoff win vs Pittsburgh and just missed beating KC in second playoff. They would have beaten KC but it was the first of many favorable calls that went KC way when refs didn’t call spearing on a TD pass that resulted in an end zone fumble that was called a touchback. Ball went back to KC. 2021 season Baker’s mistake was trying to play with a bad shoulder injury (torn labrum). Every good player (Garrett and Denzel Ward) wants out of Cleveland. Baker in a good place with Tampa.
February 10th, 2025 at 6:11 am
Gave up listening to celebrities long ago Joe. They have opinions on things they know nothing about and we as a society should mostly ignore them on anything other than their field of work. Most these days are a bunch of flakes with a capital F. Love Wahllbergs movies though.
Go Bucs!