Oklahoma football: Baker Mayfield succeeds NFL QB legend Tom Brady at Tampa Bay

Former Oklahoma football All-American and Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield is no longer a free agent.

The former Sooner star and No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick has signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The Bucs were seriously looking for quarterback help following the retirement of Tom Brady, who started at quarterback for Tampa Bay for the past three seasons.

Mayfield signed a one-year contract with Tampa Bay worth $8.5 million, according to multiple reports. The former No. 1 pick spent last season split between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams. In five games and four starts for the Rams, Mayfield completed 64 percent of his passes for 850 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions.

Mayfield was the No. 1 pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2018. He spent his first four seasons in Cleveland before being traded to Carolina just ahead of the 2022 season. His best season in Cleveland was in 2020, when he completed 63 percent of his pass attempts for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.

This will be Mayfield’s fourth team in six NFL season and third in a little over a year. He will compete for the starting job at Tampa Bay with returning quarterback Kyle Trask.

Mayfield was best known, and sometimes called out, for his high-energy fiery personality while at Oklahoma. He was also a team leader with a passion for the game and for winning, which was a big factor in his being selected as a No. 1 overall draft pick.

Mayfield, who transferred to Oklahoma after his freshman season at Texas Tech in 2014, ranks second to Landry Jones among the Sooners’ career passing leaders. In three seasons at OU, Mayfield completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 12,292 yards and 119 touchdowns.

He led Oklahoma to two College Football Playoff appearances (in 2015 and 2017) and was third in the Heisman voting the year before he won college football’s top individual award.