Cleveland Browns 2018 season The
Cleveland Browns selected Mayfield with the
first overall pick in the
2018 NFL draft. Mayfield signed a four-year rookie contract with the Browns on July 24, 2018, with the deal worth $32.68 million in guaranteed salary. Mayfield played in his first NFL game in Week 3 against the
New York Jets, replacing an injured
Tyrod Taylor with the Browns down 14–0. Mayfield went 17 of 23, passing for 201 yards as the Browns came back and prevailed 21–17, ending their winless streak at 19 games. Mayfield became the first player since
Fran Tarkenton in
1961 to come off the bench in his debut, throw for more than 200 yards, and lead his team to its first win of the season. Mayfield started for the first time in the Browns' next game, making him the 30th starting quarterback for the Browns since their
return to the NFL in 1999, in a 45–42 overtime loss to the
Oakland Raiders. In Week 5, Mayfield threw for 342 passing yards and one touchdown as he earned his first victory as a Browns starter, in a 12–9 overtime win over the
Baltimore Ravens. In Week 10, Mayfield led the Browns to a 28–16 victory over the
Atlanta Falcons. throwing for 216 yards, three touchdowns, and a passer rating of 151.2, with no turnovers. The following week, Mayfield led the Browns to their first away win since 2015, against the
Cincinnati Bengals. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 258 yards and four touchdowns. In Week 12, in a 29–13 loss to the
Houston Texans, Mayfield passed for 397 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Mayfield bounced back in the following game, a 26–20 victory over the
Carolina Panthers, going 18 of 22 for 238 passing yards and one touchdown. In Week 16, Mayfield completed 27 of 37 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in a 26–18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, earning him
American Football Conference (AFC) Offensive Player of the Week. He also won the
Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week fan vote for the sixth time. On December 29, Mayfield was fined $10,026 for
unsportsmanlike conduct during the game. As reported by
The Plain Dealer, Mayfield "pretended to expose his private parts" to Browns offensive coordinator
Freddie Kitchens after throwing a touchdown to tight end
Darren Fells. Kitchens later defended the gesture as an
inside joke between the two. Mayfield's agent Tom Mills said they would appeal the fine. On December 30, in the regular-season finale against the Ravens' league-best defense and fellow rookie quarterback
Lamar Jackson, Mayfield threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns, but his three costly interceptions — one of which came at the hands of linebacker
C. J. Mosley with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter while attempting to drive the team into range of a game-winning field goal attempt — ultimately contributed to a 26–24 loss. Nonetheless, Mayfield helped lead the Browns to finish the season at 7–8–1, their best record since
2007. He finished with 3,725 passing yards, and surpassed
Peyton Manning and
Russell Wilson for most touchdowns thrown in a rookie season with 27. While Mayfield was considered by many to be the favorite for
Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2018, the award was won by
Giants running back
Saquon Barkley. However, the
Pro Football Writers of America named him the
NFL Rookie of the Year. On the annual
Top 100 Players list for
2019, Mayfield's peers named him the 50th best player in the league, one spot behind teammate
Myles Garrett. He was named 2018
PFWA All-Rookie, the second Cleveland quarterback to receive this honor since
Tim Couch in 1999.
2019 season in 2019 In Week 1 against the
Tennessee Titans, Mayfield threw for 285 yards and a touchdown. However, he also threw three fourth-quarter interceptions, one of which was returned by
Malcolm Butler for a touchdown. The Browns lost 43–13. After the blowout loss, Mayfield said, "I just think everybody just needs to be more disciplined. I think everybody knows what the problem is. We'll see if it's just bad technique or just see what it is. Dumb penalties hurting ourself and then penalties on my part. Just dumb stuff." In Week 2 against the Jets, Mayfield finished with 325 passing yards, including a quick-attack pass to Beckham that went 89 yards for a touchdown, as the Browns won 23–3. In Week 4 against the Ravens, Mayfield threw for 342 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the 40–25 win. Against the
San Francisco 49ers, Mayfield struggled against a stout 49ers defense, completing just 8-of-22 passes for 100 yards with two interceptions as the Browns were routed 31–3. Mayfield threw two touchdown passes in a game for the first time that year in a Week 10 victory against the
Buffalo Bills, completing 26 of 38 passes for 238 yards with two TDs, including the game-winner to
Rashard Higgins, as the Browns snapped a four-game losing streak with a 19–16 win. Four days later, against the
Pittsburgh Steelers and former
Big 12 Conference rival
Mason Rudolph, Mayfield recorded his first career win against Pittsburgh, accounting for three total touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing), as Cleveland won 21–7. In Week 12 against the
Miami Dolphins, Mayfield threw for 327 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the 41–24 victory. In Week 17 against the Bengals, Mayfield became the first Cleveland Browns QB to start all 16 games in a season since
Tim Couch in
2001. In the game, Mayfield threw for 279 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions as the Browns lost 33–23. Mayfield finished the 2019 season with 3,827 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions as the Browns finished with a 6–10 record.
2020 season In Week 1 against the Ravens, Mayfield threw for 189 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 38–6 loss. He bounced back in Week Two, against the Bengals, finishing with 218 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the Browns' 35–30 win. In Week 6 against the Steelers, Mayfield completed 10 of 18 passes for 119 yards, with one touchdown, two interceptions and took four sacks during the 38–7 loss. Mayfield was replaced by
Case Keenum in the third quarter due to aggravation of a minor rib injury he suffered in the previous week's game. In Week 7, against the Cincinnati Bengals, Mayfield struggled early, as the only one of his first five pass attempts which was caught was an interception, but later completed 22 of 23 passes for 297 yards and a career-high five touchdowns – the last one to
Donovan Peoples-Jones with 11 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter – leading the Browns to a stunning 37–34 comeback victory. Mayfield was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 7. Mayfield was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 list on November 8 after being in close contact with a person who tested positive for the virus, and was activated three days later. In Week 13 against the Titans, Mayfield completed 25 of 33 passes for 334 yards. His four touchdown passes all came in the first half, as the Browns defeated the Titans by a score of 41–35. Mayfield's four first-half TDs tied
Otto Graham for a franchise record. Mayfield came close to throwing six first-half TDs, as Peoples-Jones dropped a would-be touchdown, leading to a field goal, and running back
Nick Chubb wrapped up the scoring with a one-yard run near the end of the first half after Mayfield completed a 17-yard pass play to
Rashard Higgins, setting up Chubb for the score. The Browns scored on all six of their first half possessions. The victory gave the Browns a 9–3 record, clinching the Browns' first winning season since 2007. In Week 14 against the Ravens, Mayfield threw for 343 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception as well as rushing for 23 yards and a touchdown during the 47–42 loss. In Week 16 against the Jets, Mayfield lost a fumble on fourth down with 1:25 remaining in the game while attempting a quarterback sneak during the 23–16 loss. In Week 17, Mayfield and the Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24–22 and earned their first playoff berth since 2002, at which time Mayfield was seven years old. The Browns finished the 2020 regular season 11–5. In the
Wild Card Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mayfield went 21 of 34 for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns during the 48–37 win, leading the Browns to their first playoff victory since the
1994 season, the year before Mayfield was born. It was also the Browns' first playoff road victory in 51 years, way back in
1969. In the
Divisional Round of the playoffs against the
Kansas City Chiefs, Mayfield threw for 204 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception during the 22–17 loss. Overall, Mayfield finished the 2020 season with 4,030 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and nine interceptions through 18 total games. He was ranked 71st by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
2021 season The Browns exercised Mayfield's fifth-year contract option for the 2022 season on April 23, 2021, worth $18.9 million guaranteed. On October 7, 2021, it was revealed that Mayfield was playing with a partially torn
labrum which he suffered during the Browns' Week 2 victory over the Texans. Mayfield continued to play with the injury until reaggravating it in Week 6 against the
Arizona Cardinals. Due to the injury, Mayfield was ruled out for the Browns' Week 7 game against the
Denver Broncos, missing his first game since taking over as the Browns' starter in 2018. On November 14, 2021, Mayfield suffered a right knee contusion during their crushing Week 10 loss to the
New England Patriots. While the injury was not severe, coach
Kevin Stefanski decided not to put him in for the rest of the game due to Mayfield absorbing hits and the game being out of reach. After the Browns were eliminated from the postseason following a Week 17 loss to the Steelers, the Browns announced Mayfield would undergo surgery on the torn labrum, ending Mayfield's season. He was placed on
injured reserve on January 5, 2022. Mayfield threw for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 14 games played. In the 2022 offseason, after the Browns
traded for quarterback Deshaun Watson and signed him to a contract extension, Mayfield requested that the team trade him.
Carolina Panthers On July 6, 2022, Mayfield was traded to the Panthers for a 2024 conditional fifth-round draft pick. The fifth-round pick would become a fourth-round pick if Mayfield played in 70% of the Panthers' offensive snaps, but it did not happen. Mayfield competed against
Sam Darnold for the starting position with the team. On August 22, 2022, Mayfield was named the Week 1 starter for the Panthers for their game against the Browns. Against the Browns, Mayfield threw for 235 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the 26–24 loss despite a late rally. Mayfield suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Panthers' Week 5 loss to the 49ers, which made him miss the next week against the
Los Angeles Rams. Mayfield returned and backed up
P. J. Walker starting in Week 8. In the Week 9 game against the Bengals, the Panthers were trailing 35–0 at halftime behind a disastrous start by Walker; Interim Head Coach
Steve Wilks inserted Mayfield for the second half, in which he threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns in the 42–21 loss. Wilks announced that he would return to Walker as his starting quarterback for Week 10. With a 1–5 record, Mayfield later requested his release from the Panthers, which was granted on December 5, 2022.
Los Angeles Rams On December 6, 2022, Mayfield was claimed off waivers by the Rams after starting quarterback
Matthew Stafford sustained a spinal cord injury on December 2. The Rams inherited the remaining $1.35 million on his contract. With only two days for Mayfield to learn the playbook after he was claimed, the Rams started
John Wolford at quarterback for their game against the
Las Vegas Raiders. Rams' head coach
Sean McVay benched Wolford after the first offensive series, though, and inserted Mayfield. The Rams were trailing 16–3 in the fourth quarter, seemingly headed for their seventh consecutive loss, when Mayfield led them on a comeback. With 1:45 remaining in the game, still down by 6 points, and with no timeouts left to use, the Rams' offense took the field at their own two-yard line. Mayfield then led the Rams to a game-winning 98-yard drive, which became the longest touchdown drive of his career. Mayfield completed 22 of 35 passes for 230 yards without an interception in the game and was named the
National Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week. In a Week 15
Monday Night Football matchup against the
Green Bay Packers, Mayfield threw his 100th career passing touchdown. In a Week 16 matchup against the Broncos, Mayfield led the Rams to a dominant 51–14 win while completing 24 of 28 pass attempts for 230 yards and throwing for two touchdowns. Mayfield would later credit his five-game stint with the Rams for rejuvenating his career following the disappointment of his time with Carolina. “It brought the fun back. When I’m having fun, talking trash, and enjoying it, like that’s when I’m my best. Yeah, I needed that,” Mayfield said.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023 season On March 15, 2023, the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a one-year, $4.00 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $2.87 million. Mayfield was brought in to compete against
Kyle Trask and
John Wolford to determine who would be the successor at starting quarterback to
Tom Brady after he retired after the 2022 NFL season. In Week 1 against the
Minnesota Vikings, Mayfield went 3 for 11 to start the game, but soon thereafter threw a touchdown to end the first half. After that, Mayfield went 18/23 for 110 yards and a touchdown for the rest of the game, including a crucial scramble for a first down to secure a 20–17 victory. In Week 2 against the
Chicago Bears, Mayfield went 26 for 34 for 317 yards and one touchdown in a 27–17 win. His 76% completion percentage for this game narrowly marked the best completion rate of his career at that point, in any of 33 games with 33+ pass attempts. Before that, his 75.8% completion rate on December 6, 2020, in a win against the Titans while on the Browns, had been his highest completion rate. This was also the first time in his career that Mayfield had started 2–0. In Week 3 against the
Philadelphia Eagles, Mayfield went 15/25 for 146 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, his first turnover of the season. He had one rush for 2 yards and fumbled once, which was recovered by Tampa Bay. Mayfield was also sacked twice. In Week 15 against the Packers, Mayfield posted a
perfect passer rating, completing 22 of 28 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns in a 34–20 win. He was the first opposing quarterback to ever have a perfect passer rating at
Lambeau Field. He was named the
National Football Conference (NFC) Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. In Week 18 against the Panthers, Mayfield led the Buccaneers to a 9–0 victory, clinching the Buccaneers' third straight
NFC South title. Mayfield concluded the season with 28 touchdown passes, 4,044 passing yards and a 64.3% completion rate, all career highs. He earned his first Pro Bowl nomination. In the
Wild Card Round game against the Eagles, Mayfield completed 22 of 36 passes, for 337 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He led the Buccaneers to a 32–9 win over the defending NFC champions. In the
Divisional round against the
Detroit Lions, Mayfield completed 26 of 41 passes for 349 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The second interception proved costly as it allowed the Lions to run out the clock as the Buccaneers lost, 31–23.
2024 season On March 10, 2024, Mayfield signed a three-year contract extension with the Buccaneers, worth up to $100 million, with $50 million guaranteed. In Week 1, Mayfield went 24-of-30 for 289 yards and four touchdowns in a 37–20 win over the Commanders. In a rematch of last season's Divisional round playoff game, Mayfield completed 12 passes for 185 yards and ran for a go-ahead touchdown as the Buccaneers beat the Lions 20–16. After a poor performance against the
Denver Broncos, Mayfield rebounded the following week against the Eagles, throwing for 347 yards and accounting for three touchdowns as Tampa improved to 3–1. In Week 5 against the Falcons, Mayfield threw three touchdown passes in the first half, but a lack of efficiency on offense in the second half cost the Buccaneers as they lost in overtime. In Week 6, Mayfield threw for 325 yards, four touchdown passes, and overcame three interceptions in the second quarter to win 51–27 against the Saints, leading the offense to a franchise record 594 yards. In a 41–31 loss to the
Baltimore Ravens in Week 7, Mayfield threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns, but he threw a pair of costly interceptions in the first half and lost receivers
Mike Evans and
Chris Godwin, the latter of whom ruled out for the season. Without his top receivers, Mayfield still completed a career-high 37 passes the following week against the Falcons. He finished with over 300 yards and three touchdowns for the third straight game but threw two interceptions inside the Falcons' 10-yard line as the Buccaneers lost 31–26. Mayfield cut down on his interception miscues and led last-minute game-tying drives against the Chiefs and 49ers, but the Buccaneers lost both games, dropping to 4–6 heading to their bye week. With the return of Mike Evans following the bye, Mayfield had an efficient game against the Giants, completing 24 of 30 passes for 294 yards, no interceptions, and a rushing touchdown as the Bucs won 30–7, snapping their four-game skid. Against the Panthers in Week 13, Mayfield rallied from an Achilles injury and a poor first half to lead Tampa to a game-winning field goal drive in overtime. Mayfield's play continued to improve with three touchdowns in a win over the
Las Vegas Raiders, followed by a near-flawless performance against the league's top-ranked
Los Angeles Chargers defense, completing 22-of-27 passes for 288 yards and four touchdowns in a 40–17 victory. In Week 17, Mayfield was 27-for-32 for 359 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes in a 48–14 win over the Panthers, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Needing a win against the Saints to clinch the NFC South, Mayfield led three touchdown drives in the second half and rallied his team from a double-digit deficit to secure their fourth straight division title. Mayfield finished the season completing 71.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 passing touchdowns, becoming the fourth player in NFL history to have at least 4,000 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns, and at least a 70% completion percentage in a single season. He also tied with
Kirk Cousins for the most interceptions with 16 and fumbles with 13, both of which led the NFL. Mayfield helped lead the Buccaneers to a playoff berth. In the NFC
Wild Card Round, Mayfield led two touchdown drives and two drives that ended in a field goal. In that game, Mayfield threw for 185 yards completing 83.3% of his passes. The Buccaneers' season ended in the Wild Card Round with a 23–20 loss to the Washington Commanders.
2025 season warming up before a game against the
Buffalo Bills in 2025Mayfield led the Buccaneers to a 5–1 start despite losing Evans and Godwin to injuries again, throwing for 12 touchdowns to just 1 interception during that span and sparking discussion about his candidacy for the
NFL MVP Award. The Buccaneers then proceeded to lose four of the next five games, namely to the
Detroit Lions,
New England Patriots,
Buffalo Bills, and
Los Angeles Rams, with Mayfield suffering an injury to his non-throwing shoulder in the loss to the Rams. He finished the 2025 season with 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions to go with a rushing touchdown. ==Career statistics==