The Buccaneers’ belief in Baker Mayfield has never been hard to read. Jason Licht went after him with purpose after Tom Brady retired, and the Tampa Bay general manager still sounds like a man who thinks he found the right quarterback at the right time.
Licht pointed to Mayfield’s winding path, including the struggles in Cleveland and the turmoil in his personal life, as part of what shaped him.
“A lot of turmoil, with his family and what happened in Cleveland,” Licht said via The Athletic’s Zak Keefer. “His whole story, really.
I think it helped build character. We always knew what his ceiling was - for crying out loud, no one’s won a playoff game there since he did.
And personally, I like the swag. I like the attitude.”
That faith has paid off in a big way. Mayfield has helped steady the franchise, the locker room has rallied around him, and Tampa Bay has stacked two NFC South titles over the past three years while he has produced some of the best football of his career.
So the fact that contract talks have hit a snag is what makes this situation so strange. Mayfield likes the Buccaneers.
Licht likes Mayfield. The deal just isn’t done.
Injuries may be part of the holdup, especially after Mayfield was banged up more and more as last season unraveled.
“He would have to be dead not to play,” Licht said. “Sometimes that’s not a good thing.”
Mayfield has never hidden how much he runs on emotion. He told Keefer that taking things personally may have hurt him when things started going sideways in Cleveland.
He also told Tampa Bay he would not negotiate without a deal in place before camp, then publicly expressed frustration when that deadline passed. Licht said he did not expect to be dealing with the quarterback’s chip on his shoulder, but people around Mayfield know that edge is part of what makes him go.
“Sometimes you have to back yourself into a corner and fight your way out,” Mayfield said.
Tampa Bay also got some movement on the practice field Monday. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, linebacker Christian Rozeboom, wide receiver Jalen McMillan and offensive tackle Justin Skule returned, while running back Sean Tucker was not seen practicing. Tucker is a game-time decision for Week 1, according to Todd Bowles.
In Atlanta, the Falcons took a patient approach with Michael Penix Jr. Cameron Wolfe of NFL Media reported that Penix and his camp made it clear they did not want to force the injury timeline just to be ready for Week 1, particularly because of Penix’s long injury history.
Wolfe also said Penix never treated the summer as a battle to hold onto his job. The priority was getting healthy enough to play with freedom.
After it was announced Monday that Penix would be a scratch for Week 1, he told reporters he wants to get stronger so he can “give 100 percent to the team.”
He also said he feels “really close.”
In Carolina, Jonathon Brooks was back working to the side of practice on Monday after missing last week because of “soreness.” Joe Person of The Athletic reported that the Panthers were very optimistic last week that Brooks would be available for Week 1, and that outlook has not changed. The official injury report is due Wednesday.
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