What surprised Buccaneers' Rachaad White about Baker Mayfield

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White was asked during a recent appearance on "The Adam Schefter Podcast" what surprised him about quarterback Baker Mayfield after Mayfield signed a one-year contract with the organization early last offseason. 

"He came in with swag," White said about Mayfield, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "[He] embraced us. We embraced him, which was great, man. Great, great to see. What surprised me was him being mobile, like a lot mobile. Like trying to run through dudes instead of sliding and things like that. That was a surprise out there on the field."

White mentioning that Mayfield flashed "swag" isn't all that shocking, as individuals such as Buccaneers senior advisor Bruce Arians repeatedly praised the signal-caller's "moxie." "Mobile" isn't always a word associated with Mayfield, though, and StatMuse shows the 28-year-old finished this past regular season ranked 22nd in the NFL among quarterbacks with just 163 rushing yards. 

Mayfield's willingness to take hits while trying to make plays with his legs beginning with the Week 1 win at the Minnesota Vikings this past September resulted in Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles fearing that his QB1 could suffer the type of injury that derailed Mayfield's 2021 season when he was with the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield later dealt with injured ribs and a sore ankle heading into what became the Buccaneers' wild-card playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles in January. 

"You got it man," White added about Mayfield absorbing punishment other quarterbacks often avoid. "If you want some wear and tear on your body, [it] seems like, so take that off of me then." 

White's comments serve as yet another reminder of how respected and admired Mayfield was in the locker room when Tampa Bay players departed for offseason breaks following the club's 31-23 divisional playoff loss at the Detroit Lions. The Buccaneers reportedly could utilize the franchise tag to retain safety Antoine Winfield Jr. for 2024, but it's difficult to imagine that general manager Jason Licht would tag anybody other than Mayfield unless the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft signs a new deal before the March 5 deadline for teams to use their tags.