Baker Mayfield faces off against his former team, the Carolina Panthers as the Buccaneers battle for first place in the NFC South.
Many fans may not remember that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield played for the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
Ultimately a part-time starter with a 1-5 record in Carolina, Mayfield asked for his release that December, and the Panthers obliged.
Mayfield was traded to the Panthers after four seasons with the Cleveland Browns -- and not a great trade, really, for either team.
What started as a trade for a conditional fifth-round pick for Mayfield could have become a fourth-round pick for the Browns if Mayfield had taken 70 percent of the Panthers' offensive snaps in 2022. But he did not.
Instead, he spent the season as one of three QBs -- Sam Darnold and P. J. Walker -- rotating in and out of the starting role as the Panthers tried to find an offensive unit that could win. By December, Carolina's season in tatters, both Mayfield and the Panthers were ready to move on.
Since coming to Tampa, Mayfield has swept the Panthers, leading the Bucs to a 4-0 record against his former team in 2023 and 2024, and he hopes to continue that streak Sunday.
They will need his best effort today if they want to win. Despite their loss last week to the New Orleans Saints, the Panthers are tied with the Bucs atop the NFC South.
The Panthers or the Buccaneers could take a huge step in winning the division with a win Sunday. The Bucs were considered the team to beat in the NFC after their fast start, but injuries and, quite frankly, bad luck, find them battling for the division with the upstart Panthers.
But even a win today by the Bucs won’t quite seal the division; both teams will need to win out in order to move on to the playoffs. The good news is that Mayfield knows how to handle his former team and has been in this position before, unlike Panthers QB Bryce Young.
Experience may be the difference in a win or a loss today for either team. The Buccaneers, who have lost six of their last eight, cannot afford to lose this game if they have any intention of making a playoff run down the stretch. The Bucs will have a much easier road to the playoffs if they win today than the Panthers will.