Baker Mayfield (Photo courtesy of the NFL).
I’ve been a Baker Mayfield supporter for years, but I think it may have progressed to stan status this year. I’ll tell you all the reasons why.
1. Baker Mayfield’s Keeps His Scandals Low-Key
Mayfield doesn’t forget slights easily – I’ll give him that. Grabbing his package and swearing at the Kansas Jayhawks after getting a handshake denied is a little petty. Definitely my kind of petty, though.
There was that whole scandal when Mayfield was tackled by the police like he was getting sacked on the gridiron. While in college, he had a night where he tried to run from the police, and after being apprehended, he got charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication.
Again, who cares? If you didn’t have a night like that, did you even go to college? If you watch my true crime segment on The Forkball’s podcast, then you know the NFL is full of debauchery, so if this is all you got, I’m impressed.
There is one thing I find hard to excuse, though… this photo. The “shorts” specifically.
2. He Stood Up For Himself
The NFL is a business that can be a cruel, cruel mistress. You can be chewed up and spit out with very little fanfare or protection, but heaven forbid you stand up for yourself at all.
Baker Mayfield had his own back anyway when the Cleveland Browns screwed him over. People were incredibly judgmental of his decision to leave the team. He was “arrogant.” Many thought he should have stuck it out with the Browns.
While Mayfield was in Cleveland, in 2020, he led the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. In 2021, he played through a painful shoulder injury. Then, in 2022, the Browns decided to court the (alleged) massage monster (yuck). They put their former QB on the backburner for a creep who hadn’t played for two years.
Instead of tucking his tail between his legs and sitting behind the alleged massage monster, he said he was out, and he meant it. Amen.
3. Baker Mayfield Stuck To His Convictions
I was worried about Mayfield’s future in the league, along with many others. While it felt like the majority of voices were criticizing him, I have always appreciated his exit from Cleveland. The road was rough, and I wished him well and hoped the NFL wasn’t able to grind him down for having the nerve to stand up for himself.
2022 was a rough year for Baker and his fans. The Carolina Panthers are a black hole of doom that chews players up and spits them out. It was better than him not playing at all. But not by much. He was released after a few weeks that didn’t go well at all. Which was probably the best for him career-wise, long-term.
Even though, as a Seattle Seahawks fan and New Orleans Saints fan by proxy, I despise the Los Angeles Rams, it was great to see Baker go there. He had roughly 4.3 seconds after landing before he needed to play a game, and he did it well. Obviously, his time as the Rams’ QB was going to be short-lived, but he made it look good. It was a bright moment in an otherwise dark year.
4. His Passion For The Game
Despite a year from hell, karma came through and blessed Baker. He made it to the playoffs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and moved past the Wild Card Weekend, finally falling to the Detroit Lions.
I hope and pray he has found his home in a franchise where things started a little rocky (competing with Kyle Trask, really?) but ended well. His teammates seem to really love him, and even Dan Campbell is a fan.
Baker Mayfield told the haters and the NFL off successfully by coming out on top despite bucking the system.
His love for the game goes beyond sticking it out in the league when things get tough. He also so clearly felt the loss; you couldn’t help but feel it too, Sunday. Mayfield is a guy who lives and breathes football. May Baker Mayfield’s career be long and successful.
