Baker Mayfield is an American football quarterback who plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Mayfield is a former number-one draft pick with a vast social media following of more than 1.5 million Instagram and 830,000 X/Twitter followers. Mayfield’s 6 ft 1 in, 215-pound frame is considered ideal for a modern-day quarterback.
Baker Mayfield’s Early Life
Mayfield was born on April 14, 1995, in Austin, Texas. As a child, he was a fan of the University of Oklahoma and attended their games. His love for American football blossomed during his time at Lake Travis High School, where he was the starting quarterback. The young Mayfield received offers from nine college football programs despite only being a three-star recruit. He eventually accepted a scholarship from Texas Tech because he wanted to play somewhere big and one day see his name displayed on the best betting sites in Florida.
Baker Mayfield College Football Career
Texas Tech named Mayfield as their starting quarterback before the start of the 2013 season. He played eight games, threw 2,315 yards and 12 touchdowns, and received the Big 12 Conference Freshman Offensive Player of the Year award. However, shortly after receiving the award, Mayfield announced he was leaving the program due to a miscommunication with the Texas Tech coaching staff.
Mayfield transferred to the University of Oklahoma, the team he supported growing up. However, Big 12 Conference transfer rules prevented him from participating in the 2014 season, so he watched the Sooners’ games from the stands.
The 2015 season saw Mayfield named at the Oklahoma Sooners’ starting quarterback. He played 13 games, threw 3,700 yards, 36 touchdowns, and rushed 405 yards, scoring seven touchdowns. Mayfield’s passing figures improved in 2016, throwing 3,956 yards and 40 touchdowns. His final season saw Mayfield throw 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns, the best statistics of his college career. Mayfield finished college with 14,607 passing yards and 43 touchdowns, 1,083 rushing yards, and 21 touchdowns.
Baker Mayfield Professional Football Career
The Cleveland Browns selected Mayfield as the number one overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft and awarded him a four-year rookie contract worth $32.68 million in guaranteed salary. Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor suffered an injury during the third game of the season, giving Mayfield the opportunity to make his debut. Mayfield grabbed the chance with both hands and did not relinquish the starting quarterback role for the rest of the season.
Mayfield remained the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback throughout the 2019 and 2020 seasons. In 2020, he guided the Browns to an 11-5 record, ending the team’s 18-year playoff drought. The Browns exercised Mayfield’s fifth-year contract extension, guaranteeing the star man another $18.9 million.
After playing through injury during the 2021 season, Mayfield underwent surgery at the conclusion of the campaign. During the offseason, the Browns traded for controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson, and Mayfield requested the team trade him. Mayfield got his wish when the Carolina Panthers traded him for a 2024 conditional fifth-round draft pick.
Things didn’t work out for Mayfield with the Panthers, and he requested to be released from his contract after winning one game in his six starts. The Panthers granted his request, and the team released him on December 5, 2022. A day later, Mayfield became a player for the Los Angeles Rams, and played in five games before the curtain came down on the 2022 season.
In March 2023, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a one-year, $4 million contract, making him their number one quarterback. Mayfield took to life in Tampa like a duck to water, starting all 17 games and helping the Buccaneers finish with a 9-8 record. He finished the season with a career-high 4,044 passing yards and 28 touchdowns while only throwing 10 interceptions. The Buccaneers rewarded Mayfield’s excellent season with a new three-year, $100 million contract, including a $28,875,000 signing bonus.
Baker Mayfield’s Wife
Mayfield met Emily Wilkinson through a mutual friend in 2017 while Mayfield was at the University of Oklahomo. Wilkinson was hesitant about dating a football player but decided to date the future NFL star. The pair got engaged in 2018 and married a year later in Malibu, California. The happy couple became parents to a daughter, Kova Jade Mayfield, in April 2024.
Mayfield’s wife is a model and social media personality who has appeared in several magazines, including Maxim and Sports Illustrated. Together, the Mayfields founded the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships and opportunities to less fortunate youngsters.
Baker Mayfield’s Net Worth
Mayfield has an estimated net worth of approximately $25 million, although this impressive figure continues to increase. His current three-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is worth $100 million, with $50 million guaranteed. Mayfield earns $10 million annually through endorsement deals and commercials.
Baker Mayfield Trivia
On Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season, Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mayfield posted a perfect passer rating after completing 22 of 28 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the first-ever quarterback to have a perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field.
During the 2023 NFL season, Mayfield was one of only two quarterbacks – Dak Prescott was the other – to throw at least 28 touchdown passes while throwing 10 or fewer interceptions. Mayfield ended the campaign with career-best passing attempts (566), completions (364), completion percentage (64.3%), passing yards (4,044), and touchdown passes (28).
Mayfield is active on social media, regularly posting to his 1.5 million Instagram followers. That huge following makes him one of the most popular Florida-based NFL stars on the social media platform. However, he has some way to go before he catches Travis Kelce and his 6.4 million followers, an incredible figure helped by Kelce dating pop music superstar Taylor Swift.
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