25 March 2024 , 02:00
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans has made a big comparison between his teammate Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel, who he played with in college, and Mayfield may not like the comparison.
Evans, who just signed a new deal with the Buccaneers, said that they had to keep Mayfield. He thinks Mayfield is great at getting the best out of him and enjoys playing with the top draft pick. Mayfield got a one-year contract in 2023 but now has a huge three-year, £78 million deal to stay as the main quarterback.
After signing again, Evans talked about why he wanted Mayfield back on the team. He praised Mayfield's first year leading the team and compared him to Manziel, who had a tough time in the NFL because of personal issues.
Evans shared with journalists: "Man, Baker, man, he surprised me a lot. With not his game, I knew he was a really good player, just how he is as a leader and a teammate. He really surprised me a lot.
"He's similar to Johnny (Manziel) in his playing style. I mean, really similar. So it was easy to adjust to play with him. Shorter quarterback. Great athlete. Throws like a baseball player, like really tight spiral. Really good arm. Improvise, can do all those things. Super tough. So I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do this year."
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While Evans' words were filled with praise for Mayfield, they could potentially upset his quarterback, who has always been vocal about his dislike towards such comparisons. Before the 2018 NFL Draft, Mayfield was believed to be one of the top quarterbacks in the line-up. But his uber-confident personality, which strangely mirrored that of Manziel's during his time at Texas A&M, led some to harbour doubts about him.
As Evans pointed out, both quarterbacks share similar sporting background and outspoken personas, not to mention similar stature. Manziel went from being a first-round pick in the NFL to lasting merely two seasons and starting just eight games. He was let go by the Cleveland Browns due to his off-field antics and weak play - the same team that would later draft Mayfield.
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Baker Mayfield has already admitted he does not like the comparison to Johnny Manziel (Getty Images)Prior to his drafting, Mayfield emphasised his aversion to the comparison, telling reporters: "We're two completely different people. I've always been a team-oriented guy. Not saying that Johnny wasn't. But I've quickly earned the respect of my teammates because of how I worked."
"I wasn't given the natural talent that Johnny had. Because he's a talent. And there's a reason he got taken in the first round, amazing player. We're just not the same mentally. Just wired differently."
"I don't want to be portrayed as the villain or somebody like that. I do good things within my community. I'm not trying to say those cover up any mistakes that I've made. But there's always a learning curve when you're growing up."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.