Baker Mayfield has gone from being described as ‘cocky’ and ‘immature’ in Cleveland to being praised for his “moxie” and for being “a dawg” in Tampa Bay. So what’s led to this 180-degree shift in narrative? Well, winning, plain and simple.
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After leading the Buccaneers to a 38-35 walk-off victory over the Seahawks last Monday (his fourth game-winning drive in five weeks), Mayfield now finds himself at the top of the MVP lists of many analysts. Yes, he is rubbing shoulders and competing with the likes of Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Dak Prescott.
For a quarterback who was fighting for a backup role just two seasons ago, this career turnaround is remarkable. This is the same guy who was made to sign a one-year $4 million ‘prove-it’ deal with Tampa in 2023. He delivered 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns, leading the Bucs to an NFC South title that season, even winning a game in the playoffs.
The results have led to Mayfield‘s once-criticized trash-talking and fiery nature getting praised as signs of passion and leadership rather than arrogance. And recently, the quarterback himself acknowledged the irony.
When asked in a postgame presser if he’s noticed how people’s perception of him has changed, the 30-year-old smiled and said, “I try not to get too high, not get too low, which is something that I was not doing early on in my career.
“But, you know, early on in my career, yeah, it looked as cocky, immature. Now it’s moxie — he’s a dawg. So, it’s [the] same sh*t, different day. Just as long as you play well, they change the narrative. But you just got to be yourself. And I’ve always been like that,” he added.
Those phrases — “Moxie,” “he’s a dawg,” and “same sh*t, different day” — caught the attention of Pat McAfee, who wondered if Mayfield was subtly dissing him and his crew on The Pat McAfee Show. The crew, after all, is widely known for using those very phrases to describe players.
“Don’t want to put myself in everything, but… is he taking a shot at us? Is that a shot at Moxie? I use a lot of that — he’s a dog,” McAfee joked on the latest episode of his show.
Co-host AJ Hawk quickly chimed in, defending their long-time support of Mayfield: “We were never killing Bake. We always loved his Moxie and confidence, and charisma.”
McAfee then doubled down on his intuition, saying, “He’s a very thought-out person whenever he’s giving press conference answers. There’s a reason why he says things. We’ve seen him absolutely bury people in his own brilliant way. And when he describes, ‘they used to say this, now they say this,’ we’ve been Baker supporters since the beginning.”
McAfee then shifted his tone to one of positivity, expressing nothing but happiness that the Tampa Bay QB is finally getting recognition for his wins and pedigree. “But on that note — whenever you win, obviously it’s viewed differently… and he’s still got that Baker edge. I love that Tampa Bay has said, ‘This guy’s our franchise [QB],’” the talk show host added.
Whether or not Mayfield was throwing a playful jab, McAfee is right in pointing out that the Bucs star’s authenticity, once seen as a flaw, is now his defining strength. In simple words, winning hasn’t changed Baker Mayfield; it’s only changed how everyone else sees him.
