Buccaneers name Mayfield starting quarterback for season opener

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield scrambles
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Baker Mayfield has his first win of the season, securing the starting quarterback job for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles named Mayfield the starter over Kyle Trask on Tuesday.

While Trask, a second-round pick in 2021, played well in the preseason, the Bucs opted to go with experience for their season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on September 10.

Mayfield, the top overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, has made 69 regular-season starts and takes over the reins at quarterback for Tampa Bay after the future Hall of Famer Tom Brady retired 

Acquired in March as a free agent on a one-year deal, Mayfield started Tampa Bay's first preseason game, completing 8-of-9 passes for 63 yards with a touchdown before giving way to Trask.

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Mayfield did not play in the second exhibition game, while Trask got the start. In the two games, Trask completed 26-of-38 passes for 317 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Mayfield began last season as the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback but struggled with injuries and inefficient play, and was eventually benched in midseason. He later requested and was granted his release after appearing in six games for the Panthers.

Claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams, Mayfield showed improved play with his new team, completing 63.8 per cent of his passes while throwing for three touchdowns with two interceptions in four starts.

In 12 overall games in 2022, Mayfield finished with 2,163 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions and a 79.0 passer rating that ranked 30th out of 33 qualified quarterbacks.

For his career, the 28-year-old has compiled 16,288 passing yards, 102 passing touchdowns and 64 interceptions along with a passer rating of 86.5.

His best season came in 2020, when he threw for a career-high 26 touchdowns and produced a 95.9 quarterback rating while leading Cleveland to an 11-5 regular-season record and a win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs.

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