Bruce Arians confirms what Bucs fans feel about Baker Mayfield right now

Just like he did Norman when was an Oklahoma Sooner, quarterback Baker Mayfield owns Tampa Bay right now.

In his third season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mayfield has revitalized his career, and not only asserted himself as the franchise QB, but as a fan favorite, including of former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, who raved about Mayfield while on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday.

Bruce Arians raved about Mayfield on The Pat McAfee Show

The cast of The Pat McAfee Show went on and on about Mayfield during Tuesday's show after he led the Bucs on another game-winning drive against the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. The guys especially commended Mayfield for a specific play that showed off his toughness and the epitome of who Mayfield is.

Mayfield scrambled to convert a third-and-10 in the fourth quarter, and after being tackled from behind, Mayfield clearly hurt his knee. The play went viral on social media, because although he was on the ground in pain, as soon as Texans safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson opened his mouth standing above the quarterback, Mayfield immediately popped up to give it right back.

Mayfield got to Tampa a year after Arians retired, but stuck around the franchise as a Senior Football Consultant. From a guy who coached Tom Brady in a Super Bowl, Arians proclaimed he's a "huge fan" of Mayfield.

"He owns the town right now," Arians said. "When people talk about reviving a career, he got an opportunity, he has taken advantage of it and he is the franchise. (Bucs owner) Mr. (Joel) Glazer has said he's the face of the franchise, will be for a long time. Tampa loves him, because he's that type of guy."

After bouncing between two teams in 2022, Mayfield replaced Brady in Tampa in 2023 as an expected short-term solution. However, Mayfield has made the Pro Bowl and led the Bucs to a NFC South divisional title in both season since.

The Bucs have since proven they want Mayfield as their franchise QB. This offseason, Tampa restructured Mayfield's contract to give him $30 million in guaranteed money for 2026, which previously did not have any guarantees. Mayfield signed a three-year contract worth $100 million with the Buccaneers last year after getting to Tampa on a one-year deal.

If the contract wasn't enough proof, considering Arians is on the inside of the franchise, his words say out loud what Bucs fans and the franchise think of Mayfield as their quarterback.

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