Former Browns QB Baker Mayfield having fun for the first time in a few years

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield took part in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship recently, and the media naturally asked him about football. According to the New York Post, Mayfield talked about the rejuvenation of his career that started with the Rams at the end of last season:

"I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. It was the first time I had fun playing football in a few years."

One can obviously circle back to Mayfield's time with the Browns after his playoff season in 2020. The 2021 season was hampered by a shoulder injury that he tried to play through with disappointing results, and in 2022, he faced a punch in the gut when the team traded for Deshaun Watson. He got new life with Carolina, but that stint went up in flames too.

Now, Mayfield is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback, after Tom Brady retired this offseason. But he still credits Rams head coach Sean McVay for lighting that spark in him:

"To be around a coach like Sean McVay and a bunch of other guys… to be around those guys and to be in that offense and now looking forward to being in Tampa because it’s a very similar system with our new offensive coordinator [David Canales]."

Although Mayfield is no longer tied to the Browns, I think a lot of fans still will be rooting for him to succeed outside of Cleveland; or at least I will continue to do so.