Baker Mayfield has had a remarkable resurgence with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he has the franchise looking like a contender again. Part of this renaissance, according to former Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski, is Mayfield's ability to connect with his teammates.
Gronkowski, along with former New England Patriots teammate Julian Edelman, were discussing Mayfield's turnaround on their "Dudes on Dudes" podcast. Gronkowski has spent some time with Mayfield in Tampa, and he said the Bucs quarterback has a unique personality for that position.
"He's the ultimate teammate," Gronkowski said. "He's like the ultimate locker room guy. Quarterbacks aren't really like this. He's a quarterback that will go have a beer at the bar and get f----d up with you. ... You can just tell he's a guy like that. He's a guy that will come over and chop it up while watching the game. ... He's a guy that wants to see you be an absolute dog. He's a guy that's cheering you on."
After signing a big three-year contract extension with Tampa Bay earlier this season, Mayfield went to work out with Gronkowski, and the legendary tight end said his demeanor remained unchanged.
"What I like about the dude is he's just a normal dude," Gronkowski said. "He just wants to have a good time. He actually signed a three-year, $100 million deal the morning of, and then he came to the workout session that day, and it was like nothing happened. He just showed up. He didn't have an ego or a big head or nothing. He just showed up, put the work in, and hit some more (personal records)."
Mayfield entered the NFL on a high note, as the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. After a few promising years in Cleveland, the Browns shipped Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers to make room for Deshaun Watson. Gronkowski added that might have been the best thing for Mayfield's career.
"I think it was the best thing that ever happened to Baker, getting let go by Cleveland," Gronkowski said.
This season, Mayfield is putting up impressive numbers while leading a high-powered Buccaneers offense. Mayfield has completed 70.9% of his passes while throwing for 1,489 passing yards, and his 15 touchdown passes lead the NFL.