From Hollywood Reject to Leading Man: Baker Mayfield's Blockbuster Comeback

Max Sterling, 10/13/2025In this season's most delicious NFL plot twist, Baker Mayfield has morphed from Cleveland's castoff to Tampa Bay's golden boy, serving up a revenge story sweeter than a Tampa Cuban sandwich. With MVP-worthy performances and wit sharper than his spiral, Mayfield's redemption arc is pure football theater.

The Cleveland Browns' front office must be reaching for the antacids.

Fresh off dismantling the San Francisco 49ers in a statement-making 30-19 victory, Mayfield's Buccaneers are sitting pretty at 5-1. And honestly? The numbers barely tell half the story. Sure, 17-of-23 passes for 256 yards looks nice on paper. That 139.0 passer rating sparkles. But watching Mayfield work his magic on the field — that's something else entirely.

"Baker's playing at an unbelievable level right now, an MVP level," teammate Kam Johnson said after the game. For once in the hyperbole-heavy world of post-game pressers, someone might be understating things.

Here's the real kicker: Mayfield's doing this with a receiving corps that sometimes looks like it was assembled through a fantasy football auto-draft gone wrong. Yet somehow, he's making it work. The guy's turned what should've been a post-Brady rebuild year into what's shaping up to be Tampa's most exciting season since their Super Bowl run.

Speaking of unexpected delights — rookie Tez Johnson celebrated his first NFL touchdown with a backflip that'd make Simone Biles do a double-take. Mayfield's response? Pure gold: "I mean, if I weighed 142 pounds, I'd probably be able to fly too — but I haven't weighed that since 6th grade."

Meanwhile, back in Cleveland... well. That $230 million bet on Deshaun Watson is looking about as solid as a cryptocurrency investment circa 2022. The Browns' quarterback situation heading into 2025 feels like a bad remake of a movie nobody asked for, starring rookie Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in "Musical Quarterbacks: The Cleveland Story."

Left tackle Tristan Wirfs summed it up perfectly: "We all love Baker to death... He is a dawg." In NFL-speak, that's basically poetry.

The MVP chants echoing through Raymond James Stadium aren't just hometown optimism anymore. With 12 touchdowns against a single interception this season, Mayfield's playing the kind of football that makes defensive coordinators lose sleep. Even Tom Brady, probably watching from his crypto-empire headquarters, must be nodding in approval.

But here's what's really fascinating about Mayfield's renaissance — there's no victory lap. No bitter Instagram posts about Cleveland. No passive-aggressive tweets. When those MVP chants started raining down, his response was pure focus: "It's Week 6. So, (we've) got a big one next week... we're just getting started."

For a guy who entered the league with enough shoulder chips to open a Lay's factory, Mayfield's found something better than revenge. He's found his groove, his team, and maybe most importantly, his peace. The chip's still there — you can see it in every audacious throw, every improvised play — but it's driving him forward instead of weighing him down.

And Cleveland? They're still spinning on that quarterback carousel, probably wondering how their former first overall pick transformed into exactly what they needed... about 500 miles southeast of FirstEnergy Stadium.

Sometimes the best stories in football aren't about the spectacular plays or the stat sheets. They're about redemption, resilience, and the sweet satisfaction of success being the best revenge of all. Right now, in Tampa Bay, Baker Mayfield isn't just playing football — he's writing his masterpiece.

Sometimes the best revenge isn't served cold — it's served in Tampa Bay sunshine. Just ask Baker Mayfield, whose transformation from NFL castoff to legitimate MVP candidate has become the kind of story that makes even the most jaded football fans crack a smile.The Cleveland Browns' front office must be reaching for the antacids.Fresh off dismantling the San Francisco 49ers in a statement-making 30-19 victory, Mayfield's Buccaneers are sitting pretty at 5-1. And honestly? The numbers barely tell half the story. Sure, 17-of-23 passes for 256 yards looks nice on paper. That 139.0 passer rating sparkles. But watching Mayfield work his magic on the field — that's something else entirely."Baker's playing at an unbelievable level right now, an MVP level," teammate Kam Johnson said after the game. For once in the hyperbole-heavy world of post-game pressers, someone might be understating things.Here's the real kicker: Mayfield's doing this with a receiving corps that sometimes looks like it was assembled through a fantasy football auto-draft gone wrong. Yet somehow, he's making it work. The guy's turned what should've been a post-Brady rebuild year into what's shaping up to be Tampa's most exciting season since their Super Bowl run.Speaking of unexpected delights — rookie Tez Johnson celebrated his first NFL touchdown with a backflip that'd make Simone Biles do a double-take. Mayfield's response? Pure gold: "I mean, if I weighed 142 pounds, I'd probably be able to fly too — but I haven't weighed that since 6th grade."Meanwhile, back in Cleveland... well. That $230 million bet on Deshaun Watson is looking about as solid as a cryptocurrency investment circa 2022. The Browns' quarterback situation heading into 2025 feels like a bad remake of a movie nobody asked for, starring rookie Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in "Musical Quarterbacks: The Cleveland Story."Left tackle Tristan Wirfs summed it up perfectly: "We all love Baker to death... He is a dawg." In NFL-speak, that's basically poetry.The MVP chants echoing through Raymond James Stadium aren't just hometown optimism anymore. With 12 touchdowns against a single interception this season, Mayfield's playing the kind of football that makes defensive coordinators lose sleep. Even Tom Brady, probably watching from his crypto-empire headquarters, must be nodding in approval.But here's what's really fascinating about Mayfield's renaissance — there's no victory lap. No bitter Instagram posts about Cleveland. No passive-aggressive tweets. When those MVP chants started raining down, his response was pure focus: "It's Week 6. So, (we've) got a big one next week... we're just getting started."For a guy who entered the league with enough shoulder chips to open a Lay's factory, Mayfield's found something better than revenge. He's found his groove, his team, and maybe most importantly, his peace. The chip's still there — you can see it in every audacious throw, every improvised play — but it's driving him forward instead of weighing him down.And Cleveland? They're still spinning on that quarterback carousel, probably wondering how their former first overall pick transformed into exactly what they needed... about 500 miles southeast of FirstEnergy Stadium.Sometimes the best stories in football aren't about the spectacular plays or the stat sheets. They're about redemption, resilience, and the sweet satisfaction of success being the best revenge of all. Right now, in Tampa Bay, Baker Mayfield isn't just playing football — he's writing his masterpiece.