Baker Mayfield says the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have allowed him to be himself as he’s emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the league. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

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Baker Mayfield loves being a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 30-year-old quarterback has finally found his footing as the franchise quarterback of the Buccaneers after going through multiple up-and-downs at the start of his career. The veteran quarterback is now a two-time Pro Bowler and coming off of the finest season of his career, throwing for a career-high 41 touchdown passes, the second-highest mark in the NFL.

Mayfield says the key is the Buccaneers have allowed him to be himself, which is something that is key as he’s developed into one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.

“From the time I stepped foot in Tampa, from our front office guys and Todd Bowles, they’ve just told me to be myself and the best version of that,” says Mayfield in a one-on-one interview. “They’ve allowed me to do that. It’s one thing to say it, but it’s another thing to allow me and give me the freedom or pieces and resources to be able to do that.”

Mayfield has played for four different franchises and was the starting quarterback for two of them before Tampa Bay in the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers. He says the Buccaneers are “definitely home” for him.

“It’s not always like that at other places,” says Mayfield. “That’s nothing talking bad about other organizations, but not every city or team is the right fit for each person. It’s taken me quite a few head coaches in different cities to find the right spot, but it’s definitely home.”

The former No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner has thrived in Tampa Bay after three franchises moved on from him. Mayfield has led the Buccaneers to back-to-back playoff appearances and they haven’t missed a beat in the post-Tom Brady era.

He says the biggest difference between the younger version of himself and the one that’s a Pro Bowl quarterback now is the game has slowed down for him.

“Just the amount of reps I’ve had, the game slows down,” says Mayfield. “To be a good quarterback in this league, you have to be able to process information extremely quick. The more reps you have seeing different coverages, blitzes looks different, things like that. You can process information pretty quick and go through your reads and really let the defense determine where the ball is supposed to go and do it quickly.”

Mayfield compliments the organization, which is well-known for taking care of its players and keeping them within the franchise for a long period of time. For example, Lavonte Davis has been with the Buccaneers since 2012 and Mike Evans has been with the team since 2014. Franchise legends such as Ronde Barber and Derrick Brooks spent their entire careers with Tampa Bay.

“It’s second to none,” says Mayfield. “When you have veteran guys, future Hall of Famers like Mike Evans, Lavonte David should be in that conversation that really just every single day set the standard.

“They don’t talk a lot, they just go about their business, do things the exact way they’re supposed to, and work really hard between mentally and physically,” Mayfield continues to say. “When you have guys like that that are doing it right the right way, everybody else should do it too. It’s been a great locker room to be part of.”

When asked about his current contract situation and if he hopes to be a member of the Buccaneers for a long time, Mayfield says he “hopes so.” His current contract runs through 2026. The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback says he takes it “one game at a time.”

Mayfield is currently the 19th-highest paid quarterback at $33.3 million per year.

“Yeah, I hope so,” says Mayfield. “It’s been a blast. Love it here, love the teammates, love the staff. I can only hope, but I take it one game at a time.”

Baker Mayfield Partners With Popeyes For ‘Better Wings, Better Mayfield’ Campaign

As Mayfield prepares to lead the Buccaneers for the third straight season, he’s partnering with Popeyes – one of his favorite restaurants as a kid – as they show off their new wings. They’ll feature three sauce flavors – Signature Hot, Sweet N Spicy and Honey BBQ. They’ll also feature four new dry rubs in Ghost Pepper, Lemon Pepper, Garlic Parm and Buffalo.

“I have a long history with Popeyes,” says Mayfield. “Grew up it was on the way to baseball. It was only place we would pass. Definitely had to have it on the way home. Then when this opportunity came about, just made sense. Relaunching ‘Better Wings, Better Mayfield’ kind of tracks with my career. My overall trajectory, the ups and downs, and bringing back the good times, some great sauces, and then four new, great dry rub flavors. Yeah, it’s exciting.”

Fans will be able to score free wings from Popeye’s starting on Sep. 4 on the Monday after each touchdown. People will be able to get a free order of six-piece wings with any $10-plus digital order.

Mayfield says he considers the ghost pepper dry rub to be his favorite flavor.

“A favorite would be one of the dry rubs,” says Mayfield. “The new dry rub, it’s the ghost pepper flavor, and it’s really good. I was a little hesitant at first, thinking it might be too spicy, but it was just right. Just a good kick, if you like spice. It’s really, really good.”