Bruce Arians had Baker Mayfield ‘rated higher’ than top 2023 QB prospects
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians made some surprising comments regarding this year’s quarterback draft class. With the retirement of Tom Brady, the quarterback position in Tampa Bay is vacant. The Bucs signed former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield this offseason to compete for the position.
Bruce Arians made his opinion of Mayfield’s abilities versus those of the 2023 quarterback draft class very clear.
“I can honestly say out of these four, I had Baker rated higher. That’s an honest opinion,” Arians said.
“He had a tough time playing hurt and things didn’t work in Cleveland. That happens to a lot of guys. Timmy Couch was no bust. Timmy Couch got broken the hell up in Cleveland. I coached him. Helluva player.”
(Quotes via Pro Football Talk.)
The 2023 NFL Draft featured three quarterbacks taken within the first four selections: Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson. All have the potential to become solid NFL quarterbacks, but nobody knows yet.
While he’s now the special advisor to Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht and not head coach, Arians is still the quarterback whisperer. Having worked with quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, Andrew Luck and most recently, Brady — who some consider the greatest of all time.
It is the experienced opinion of Arians that believes the Buccaneers’ current quarterback room has more talent than any of the drafts prospects. They also have former Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask, a former second-round pick, on their roster. Very little is certain surrounding the situation in Tampa Bay. What is certain is that their training camp will feature a true quarterback battle between Mayfield and Trask.
Is Mayfield the Buccaneers’ best option?
Last season was an extremely mediocre one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team won their second consecutive division title with a record of 8-9, in the pitiful NFC South. They lost their Wild Card round playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys in Tom Brady’s last-ever NFL game.
Replacing the G.O.A.T. at quarterback is not an easy task. Choosing to not draft a quarterback, Tampa Bay signed Baker Mayfield this offseason. While Mayfield’s career has been less than perfect up until this point, he has never had the opportunity to play in a stable environment.
Mayfield has already started for five different head coaches in just five NFL seasons. Now on his fourth team, this is likely Baker’s last official chance to hold down a starting quarterback role, potentially working with a quarterback whisperer like Bruce Arians may be what Mayfield needed the whole time. He will also have weapons like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at his disposal.
While Tampa Bay may not be the team it was a few years ago, they are far from the worst in the league. If Mayfield wins the starting job and does not have success, it will reflect very poorly on not just him, but Arians as well.
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