Rob Gronkowski, a legendary Buccaneers player and close friend of Tom Brady who recently retired, gave some advice to his former team’s newly acquired quarterback Baker Mayfield as well as expressed great confidence in him as a starting quarterback.
With the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Browns selected Mayfield, and he began his NFL career with them, however, in 2021, the Browns traded that pick to the Panthers. The QB’s time with the Panthers was brief. The veteran quarterback was let go by the Panthers after he asked to be released from the organization, and PJ Walker was moved up the depth chart in his place.
He joined the LA Rams shortly after being released by the Panthers, and after entering free agency, he signed a one-season, $4 million contract to become a full-time member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster.
What was the advice of Rob Gronkowski for the Buccaneers and Mayfield?
Rob clearly advised the team to give Mayfield the starting quarterback job of the Buccaneers for this season. The former Bucs player thinks the team should consider this position for him if they want to have their newly recruited player as a successful one.
“I think he’ll be the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Bucs going into the season. The only way that I can see the Bucs pulling him is if he just absolutely plays horrendous, which I don’t think he will. I think the Bucs are going to put him in a position to succeed. There will be competition between him and Kyle going into training camp, which that they want,” he said.
Before joining the Rams, Mayfield had a lot of bad experiences with the Panthers and Cleveland Browns. The quarterback, however, found his footing with the Rams, displayed maturity and leadership qualities, and ended his time as a Ram with a 2-3 record as the starting quarterback.
He demonstrated this in his first game with them by inspiring the Rams, potentially influencing the 17-16 unexpected comeback victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Grownski stated that the Buccaneers can expect a playoff appearance with Baker at the helm if the 28-year-old can display the same level of athletic prowess and tenacity he displayed with the Rams.
“Baker just needs to be, you know, the Baker that he was when he was with the Rams, and he just doesn’t need to be a hero. He just needs to protect the ball and don’t turn it over and he will succeed, and the Tampa Bay Bucs will be going to the Playoffs,” he added.
The former Rams quarterback’s motivation for this season will hopefully increase as a result of Grownski’s advice, and the quarterback looks determined to display his prowess even more than he did with the Rams.
