Baker Mayfield goes in-depth into his Browns exit, what happened after with Panthers, Rams

Ahead of the Red River Rivalry on Saturday, Baker Mayfield joined the Pat McAfee Show live in front of a crowd at the Cotton Bowl. The new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, with his team at 3-1, has come a long way since his ousting from Cleveland. The former first-overall draft pick joked with McAfee that he’s still confused by the “rollercoaster” of the last few years with the Browns, Panthers and Rams.

“I think I’m still confused too,” Mayfield said. “Towards the end there, I played 2021 with pretty much a torn-apart shoulder. I was excited to get the surgery, get healthy, and get another shot to get back to 2020 form. But that wasn’t their plan. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.”

“Now, the rollercoaster I went on after that was a little nuts for me,” Mayfield continued. “It gave me good perspective. Being in Carolina, trying to be a good mentor to couple guys, different perspective on it, be a good leader, going to LA, looking at each other, we had a five-game season, let’s make the most of it and pad the resume.”

We were very confused how your time ended with the Browns..

"I think I'm still confused too 😂😂

I was excited to get surgery, get healthy & get back to my 2020 form but that wasn't their plan..

I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason" @bakermayfield #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/hKzhMG3IWa

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 6, 2023

Outside narratives ‘bled’ into locker room

Mayfield went from being the pride of Cleveland to fighting for reps with the Panthers before finally finding success with the Rams.

The worst part of the journey, according to the former Sooner, was the negativity from outside of the team “bleeding” into the locker room. The Bucs QB now tunes out the outside noise and opinions from people who don’t know his character.

“To see the outside narrative bleed into the building and affect the relationships I had personally, that was the worst part so I had to just stay away from it,” Mayfield said. “When people are second-guessing your character, who you are as a person in the locker room, that’s never fun.”

For the Bucs this season, Mayfield has seven touchdowns, two interceptions, 882 passing yards and 61 rushing yards. His completion percentage of 69.6% is the highest it’s been in his career, and he’s at the top of the league in completion percentage on third down.

Baker Mayfield serving as celebrity guest picker

ESPN’s College GameDay is heading back to the Red River Rivalry this week as Oklahoma and Texas square off in their annual matchup at the Cotton Bowl. Sooners fans will see one of their most recent stars on the set, as well.

Baker Mayfield will serve as College GameDay’s celebrity guest picker, he announced on Instagram. Mayfield is currently playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since their bye week lines up with the Oklahoma-Texas game, it opened the door for him to be on set as the guest picker.

Mayfield played in three Red River games against Texas during his career at Oklahoma, winning two of those matchups. His biggest showing was in 2016 when he threw for 390 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown to help the Sooners to a thrilling 45-40 victory.