Baker Mayfield was a star in Week 1.
Then he was named one by none other than the biggest star in NFL history, Tom Brady.
If that was not enough, the Bucs quarterback received another award on Wednesday afternoon.
Tom Brady, continuing his busy post-retirement life in the broadcast booth with Fox, started a new segment called “Top 3 Stars of the Week”.
After naming Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and 49ers running back Jordan Mason, who both had impressive games, the GOAT concluded his segment by discussing his successor in Tampa Bay.
“And last and certainly not least down in Tampa Bay, Baker Mayfield,” Brady said. “[Mayfield] threw four touchdowns, two to my boy Mike Evans, one to Chris Godwin, what a performance. Baker, I wish I took you in fantasy, but a great start finding Mike, finding Chris, having that type of performance at home. That’s exactly what the team needs. Great job.”
Mayfield guided the Bucs to 37 points and 392 total yards of offense. As Brady mentioned, he did well connecting with his top two wide receivers and had an electric start in front of the Raymond James crowd in the season-opener.
After his big game, one of the biggest takeaways from Sunday is that he picked up right where he left off last season, showing why the team committed to him on a three-year, $100 million deal this offseason. The veteran quarterback came in on a prove-it deal looking to fill the shoes of the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback as the team was in transition, and he still managed to lead them on a playoff run.
With more pieces placed around him this offseason and further stability, the 29-year-old showed the potential to build on that and further prove himself as a quarterback to build around long-term.
Back when Mayfield signed in Tampa Bay heading into 2023, who would have thought that Brady would begin praising his play with the Bucs as a play-by-play announcer?
Baker Mayfield had his second-best game in a Bucs uniform in Week 1, with his Week 15 game last year against the Packers at Lambeau Field being his best. Mayfield was both efficient, completing 80% of his passes for 289 passing yards, and effective in throwing four touchdowns.
That performance also won him another weekly award, the Week 1 FedEx Air Player of the Week.
If he keeps up his strong start to kick off the 2024 season, more awards are bound to come his way.
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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterSep 20, 2024, 01:41 AM ETCloseRich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the