The carousel of players the Los Angeles Rams were forced to trot out during the 2022 season was beyond suboptimal. The defending Super Bowl champions got hit hard by the injury bug and had to make due with the little depth they had on both sides of the field.
The offense suffered greatly when Matthew Stafford suffered a spinal contusion injury that ended his season early. In his stead were John Wolford and Bryce Perkins, who tried to pick up the slack but were far from productive. With the quarterback position sorely lacking, the Rams went out and claimed Baker Mayfield off waivers after he was let go by the Carolina Panthers.
Mayfield didn’t have to wait too long to make his debut as he came off the bench to lead Los Angeles to a thrilling comeback win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football. It was a highlight moment for Mayfield, who had struggled to find his footing at previous stops.
Now a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mayfield reflected on his time with the Rams and admitted it was a rejuvenating experience, via Belle Fraser of New York Post:
“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. It was the first time I had fun playing football in a few years,” Mayfield said of his time with the Rams during a media call prior to the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship.
“It brought that feeling of having that success and really remembering what it was all about, kind of hit the reset button for me.”
Mayfield added that he appreciated his time playing for Sean McVay and the rest of the coaching staff and that he believes that experience will help his transition to Tampa Bay:
“To be around a coach like Sean McVay and a bunch of other guys… to be around those guys and to be in that offense and now looking forward to being in Tampa because it’s a very similar system with our new offensive coordinator [David Canales],” Mayfield said.
The 28-year-old would’ve been a great option to come back and serve as the Rams backup to Stafford, but a chance to start with the Buccaneers was too good of an opportunity to pass up. While Mayfield’s time in L.A. was short, fans can appreciate the positive attitude he had and the fun moments he provided in what ended up being a lost season for the organization.
