Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or John Wolford

Thursday, July 25, 9:10 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield exceeded all expectations in his first season with the organization. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft entered last year's training camp in a battle with Kyle Trask for the starting job, and he ultimately won it with ease. Mayfield passes for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2023, and more importantly, he led the team to a division crown and a Wild Card victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Heading into 2024, the franchise is even more comfortable with him leading the offense. "He has to run the offense -- we talked about this, as far as getting the ball out where he needs to get the ball out and understanding the offense and making the correct checks," head coach Todd Bowles said. "I think he's taken it upon his shoulders. He came back in great shape and we expect him to do that. There's a lot more stability there than there was last year." The 29-year-old has limited fantasy upside since he doesn't do much as a runner, but the pass-catching group of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, Rachaad White, and Cade Otton sets him up to post at least a few QB1 weeks in favorable matchups. He also has strong job security after signing a three-year, $100 million deal this offseason.

Friday, March 15, 6:10 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to terms on an undisclosed deal with free-agent quarterback John Wolford, according to Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht. Wolford will return to Tampa after spending the end of last season on the team's practice squad. The 28-year-old didn't actually appear in a game in the NFL in 2023. The Wake Forest alum entered the league in 2020 with the Los Angeles Rams and has appeared in all seven of his games (four starts) in LA. Over that time, he's gone 61-for-104 (58.7 completion percentage) for 626 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions. Wolford will strictly operate as quarterback depth for the Bucs in 2024 behind starter Baker Mayfield and backup Kyle Trask.