The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were at a crossroads at the end of 2021. A year removed from their second Super Bowl in franchise history and facing the retirement of Tom Brady, they needed an answer at quarterback.

It's always an honor to be given props in the NFL. It's another honor to be given props by one of the league's most historically electrifying players. Tampa Ba

The perception has existed for years that Brady was more a negative than a positive for the 2022 Buccaneers, in part because he allegedly was "checked out" while dealing with off-the-field matters.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield went from feeling "like a piece of dirty laundry" in late 2022 to serving as the undisputed leader of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers side that he guided to back-to-back division titles.