National Football League

Baker Mayfield believes Bryce Young is 'far from finished' after benching

Updated Sep. 18, 2024 6:20 p.m. ET

Baker Mayfield can relate a little bit to the struggles that Bryce Young is going through with the Carolina Panthers, so he offered support to the young quarterback on Wednesday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback assured Young that things can get better following his benching, suggesting that Young isn't entirely to blame for what's happened in Carolina since it selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

"Obviously [my career] didn't happen in the same time frame as Bryce, but quarterback is hard, especially for young guys when you're not surrounded with the pieces ... and you're not given the opportunity to have success," Mayfield told reporters.

"A lot of time, guys have the talent, they might have the brains, but they don't have the right opportunity or the right fit. I'm sitting here right now in a way better fit than the other places I've been. That's not to put other teams down. But it's a matter of the pieces around you, the coaches. And for Bryce, a guy that — I can relate to this — finding that belief within yourself again. He'll get it. His story is far, far from finished."

Mayfield had a rocky tenure with the Cleveland Browns after they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He showed promise as a rookie before slumping in his second season. He led the Browns to a postseason berth and a playoff win in 2020, but his regression in 2021 led the Browns to cut ties with him.

The struggles didn't end for Mayfield in Cleveland. He went 1-5 in six starts with the Panthers after they traded for him in 2022, getting benched due to poor play. He was later released and finished the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams, putting some spark back into his career.

That spark with the Rams helped him land a one-year deal with the Buccaneers in the 2023 offseason, proving that he can be a quality starting quarterback in the NFL. He threw for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season, leading Tampa Bay to the playoffs and a postseason win before earning a three-year, $100 million extension in March. Through the first two games of the 2024 season, Mayfield's play has suggested that his play in 2023 wasn't a fluke, leading the Buccaneers to a 2-0 start.

As Mayfield needed multiple changes of scenery before finding the right situation for him, Young won't be granted that same opportunity quite yet. Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters on Wednesday that the team has no plans to trade Young.

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"That's not something we are really considering," Canales said when asked about possibly trading Young. "We have a great situation with our quarterbacks right now with guys that have experience. We love where we are at and it's all hands on deck."

Canales was the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator for Mayfield's resurgence in 2023, with the quarterback often praising the coach for helping him turn his career around. The Panthers hired Canales hoping he could work the same magic he worked with Mayfield and apply it to Young.

Obviously, that hasn't worked to this point. Young's thrown for just 245 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions through the first two games. More importantly, Carolina's offense ranks last in the league in yards (176 per game) and points (6.5 per game) through the first two weeks. As a rookie, Young threw for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 16 starts as the Panthers' had one of the league's worst offenses en route to a league-worst 2-15 record.

Mayfield didn't want to comment much on the decision his former offensive coordinator made, but believes it could benefit Young.

"I told you guys, he's an optimist bully," Mayfield said of Canales. "Finding ways to make things work when it's not the best look, or things aren't going well and being positive about it, about the next opportunity. So yeah, it's whatever they're doing — I'm sure it's for a good reason, whether it's to just give Bryce time.

"Not in their building, not in their meetings, so can't really comment too much on it."

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