Buccaneers senior offensive assistant/pass game specialist Ken Zampese believes the Cleveland Browns made a mistake trading quarterback Baker Mayfield in 2022. Zampese, who served as the Browns' quarterbacks coach in 2018 and worked with Mayfield for one season in Cleveland, told ESPN ahead of the teams' matchup in Tampa that "They had the guy and they gave him up." He pointed to the team's strong offensive finish in 2018, going 5-3 in the second half of a season that began with a 1-31 record the year prior. "The script got flipped and the city came alive because they finally drafted a quarterback that worked out for them and they mucked it up," Zampese said.

Mayfield's tenure with the Browns included a playoff win in 2020, the franchise's first postseason victory in 26 years, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in the wild card round before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round. However, 2021 brought injuries including a torn labrum, public criticism, and growing tension that culminated in the Browns pursuing Deshaun Watson in a trade with the Houston Texans.

After learning of the trade pursuit through social media, Mayfield requested a move and was dealt to the Carolina Panthers in July 2022 for a conditional draft pick. He was released by Carolina in December and briefly joined the Los Angeles Rams before landing with the Buccaneers, where he has found renewed success under head coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Dave Ragone.