Baker Mayfield's come a long way since being forced to play scout team defensive end for the Carolina Panthers after losing his starting job to Sam Darnold.
To say the quarterback's galvanized his career would be a huge understatement. Mayfield rose from obscurity to get another shot with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams. He seized the moment, earned a new deal, and looks like tremendous value given the way he's been performing in 2024.
Mayfield got the chance to get one over on the team that cast him aside in Week 17 at Raymond James Stadium. It didn't take long to figure out that the former No. 1 overall selection out of Oklahoma was eager to twist the knife further into Carolina's disappointing season.
Setting the tone early wasn't a problem for Mayfield. He moved the ball effortlessly on the opening drive, connecting with his pass-catchers and finding prolific wide receiver Mike Evans in the end zone. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Heisman Trophy winner was just getting started.
The same trend continued throughout the contest. Mayfield was efficient, aggressive, and oozed confidence. He threw for five touchdowns, completed 27-of-32 passes for a remarkable 359 yards, and secured a lofty passer rating of 153.0 out of a maximum 158.3 as a result of his efforts.
Baker Mayfield has the upper hand against the Carolina Panthers
Mayfield is now 4-0 against the Panthers during his two seasons in Tampa Bay. That's a satisfying feeling for the player, even if he wouldn't admit it publicly.
Carolina's defense — not for the first time during an underwhelming campaign from Ejiro Evero's unit — had no answer. Mayfield went from an uncertain future to someone capable of being a thorn in the Panthers' side for years to come. His relentless quest to embarrass his old team is something head coach Dave Canales and others in positions of power should take seriously moving forward.
Mayfield was mismanaged by Matt Rhule's regime. There's no denying that looking at how things have unfolded for the signal-caller since his hasty departure. Given his competitive nature, this subpar treatment following his trade from the Cleveland Browns is not something he's going to forget in a hurry.
The Panthers must match fire with fire. Mayfield isn't going anywhere, so finding solutions to their defensive frailties is paramount. Whether that's improving the personnel or hitting the reset button entirely is debatable, but things cannot continue similarly for much longer.
It's an important offseason for the Panthers. They have something in second-year quarterback Bryce Young, but there are several other problems to solve before confidence increases they can challenge for the division. Mayfield will be striving to ensure that doesn't happen for as long as the Buccaneers want him.
Judging by this scheme fit and flourishing relationship, that'll be for a good while yet.