Rachaad White said Baker Mayfield figured out Vikings defensive signals in season opener

Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Bucs pulled off an upset in the team’s first game, post Tom Brady. The quarterback credited it to kicking the offense into a higher gear. But running back Rachaad White offered a different theory. His QB figured out the Vikings defensive signs and let his offense know at halftime.

“I just remember Bake came in the locker room, literally at halftime, he said, ‘I got it. We got all these signals,’” White said of Baker Mayfield during an interview on the Buccaneers Radio Network.

“We’re in there talking as an offense and he’s like, ‘I know all these signals. If they do this, they’re going into Cover 2. If they do this, they’re going into Cover 3. Every time I alert this and they do this signal, they’re dropping back to this.’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ . . . I was just listening to him and we were listening to him and we just kind of understood.”

Whatever happened, it triggered a Bucs 20-17 win at Minnesota as the Vikings donned throwback uniforms and celebrated Bud Grant Day to honor the memory of their old coach. Now, can the Bucs and Baker Mayfield do it again this Sunday against the Bears?

The Bucs signed Mayfield earlier this year to compete with Kyle Trask, their second-round pick from 2021, for the starting quarterback job that Brady vacated when he retired Feb. 1. Mayfield was the first player selected in the 2018 NFL Draft. Despite his lofty draft status, he’s been an NFL vagabond. The Bucs are his fourth team and third since the 2022 season.

So Mayfield’s experience — he’s seen a lot of defenses — led him to figuring out the Vikings signals. He started the game very slowly, completing only three of his first 11 passes. Then something clicked. He and Mike Evans connected for a touchdown to tie the score at 10-10 right before halftime.

The Bucs finally took the lead with five minutes remaining. The defense held the Vikings, then Mayfield and company killed the clock.

“It just comes with playing quarterback for a long time,” Baker Mayfield told reporters.“The most important play is the next one.”

Mayfield, the 2017 Heisman winner from the Oklahoma Sooners, threw two touchdown passes. Overall, he completed 21 of his 34 attempts for 174 yards with no turnovers. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins posted the gaudiest of stats, going 33 of 44 for 344 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and two lost fumbles.

“It wasn’t our prettiest effort by any means,” Mayfield said. “But we finished the right way.”