Baker Mayfield is Day 2 of the Buccaneers’ mandatory minicamp Everyone wanted to know his thoughts on his former University of Oklahoma teammate Sterling Shepard signing with Tampa Bay and what role he played in making it happen.
Shepard Mentioned The day before, he had a text conversation with Mayfield that ultimately led to him getting the tryout. Mayfield didn’t stress how much of a commitment he had to Shepard coming to Tampa.
Buccaneers strengthen confidence in Baker Mayfield
Buccaneers quarterback coach Thad Lewis with quarterbacks Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
“Obviously, we’re just waiting to see how he does,” Baker Mayfield said of the addition of veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard . “We didn’t expect to have a tryout the next day. We had no idea. Once we got him, he did the rest. He’s a good enough player to be here. It’s good for everybody to have a competitor like that. He knows he’s got to put in the work to get on this team. We’re a good team. When you have a skilled group, it makes everybody around you work harder.”
Mayfield may be downplaying it, but it’s a sign of the growing confidence the Buccaneers have in him. The organization clearly values his opinion. To hear his thoughts on players they’re interested in. Obviously this time, it will come in handy given his history with Sheppard.
Typically, star quarterbacks have some input into certain roster changes that help the offense, as evidenced by former Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s desire for the team to trade for Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski, as well as the signing of free agent running back Leonard Fournette and free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown, all of which occurred during the 2020 season.
Now Mayfield is helping the Buccaneers build their offseason roster with the addition of Shepard.
“I think having some guys out helps that cause. We have openings,” Mayfield said. “Especially during game week, we do scouting reports and stuff so I talk to the guys in the front office a lot. I build good relationships with the guys and make sure we’re all on the same page, but ultimately they make the decisions and my job is to play football and do it at a high level. So if I trust them and they trust me and I trust my opinion of what kind of player he (Shepard) is, then they’ll evaluate the talent.”
Baker Mayfield’s vacation plans
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield – Photo: Cliff Welch P/R
With the mandatory minicamp over, the team is on break until the players gather for training camp on July 23. Each player is spending this break in different ways: some want to recharge their batteries, while others continue with a program to stay in rhythm in preparation for the resumption of practice.
Baker Mayfield detailed what his time off will be like and how he plans to approach it.
“I’ve always been a big believer in time off, just taking a little break, getting away for a little while, staying in shape of course, but enjoying the time off,” Mayfield said.
“It’s a long season, a long grind. We’ll train, we’ll have a little break here and there, but then we’ll slow down again as camp gets closer, we’ll go over with the guys and come back here. The biggest thing for anyone coming into training camp is the heat, so we’ll come back and get used to the heat again, train outside, run outside, get some rest and get used to it again.”
