In college football, Matt Rhule is known for his third-year charm, but back in the pro league, Rhule’s three years witnessed an upsetting setback that eventually led to his firing. During his stint with the Carolina Panthers, Rhule had his favorite picks, and the $100 million contract-holder QB was one of them. His regret? The head coach couldn’t take Baker Mayfield to the spotlight.

Now, three years after the fateful night when he was fired from the Panthers, Matt Rhule has some qualms. “I love Baker Mayfield,” says Matt Rhule in a conversation with Zach Gelb. Although Baker’s stint with the Panthers didn’t bear fruit, he has the spotlight flashing bright at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the prized quarterback rewrites his narrative.

“He could be the seventh or eighth best quarterback in football, if not higher than that,” says analyst Zach Gelb. After shuffling through several teams, Baker found his home in Tampa. He’s been constantly leading them to division titles and playoff performances, and this year, the ceiling is the mountaintop. Nebraska’s head coach is full of praise for his former QB.

“He’s a winner,” Matt Rhule continued. “He’s tough. I wish I could have done a better job for him during my time in Carolina. I wish I could have put him in, you know, a better position there as the head coach. But even with what he did in Carolina, you know, we wanted to trade for him at the draft. We weren’t able to do it,” he added.

Back in 2018, Baker was the No. 1 overall draft pick selected by the Cleveland Browns. A talented draft candidate, Matt Rhule, wanted to bring Mayfield to the Panthers. But he couldn’t. However, Baker’s story didn’t go as he had planned at the Browns. A shoulder injury put a stamp on his time with Cleveland. Mayfield was traded to the Panthers after Sam Darnold couldn’t pick up the momentum. Rhule continued, “We didn’t sign him until like…He wasn’t in the OTAs. He wasn’t in the mandatory mini camp. Do you know how hard it is to do in modern pro football? He showed up. The first day of training camp, like that doesn’t happen anymore.”

That very season, the Panthers ran out of QB luck. Rotating through four quarterbacks, they couldn’t gain momentum. Mayfield had started six games for the Panthers but was 1-5 in those. Matt Rhule wanted to give it a chance, but the league was unforgiving to both Rhule and Mayfield. And the Nebraska head coach still regrets the fact that he could have done better for Baker.

Matt Rhule’s and Baker Mayfield’s fate was sealed after an upsetting loss

Treading through a QB1 battle, Baker Mayfield got the starting gig in rotation with Sam Darnold. In 2022, during the season opener, the overall criticism was brutal. Rhule continues. “But to his credit, like, we got down that first game against Cleveland, and he brought us all the way back. I remember him (Mayfield) running for a touchdown and throwing the ball against the back line. How much he wanted to beat Cleveland.”

The 26-16 defeat to the Cardinals sealed the deal for the team. At the end of the game, the crowd was rallying, ‘Fire Matt Rhule.’ And they got their wish. After his departure, Mayfield requested his release as well. He wasn’t the first choice for Ben McAdoo’s offense. “Things didn’t go our way. But I’ll never minimize the toughness, the competitiveness, or the mindset of Baker Mayfield,” he added.

Although Matt Rhule couldn’t be a part of Baker Mayfield’s redemption arc, as a former head coach and friend, it is a joyous bunch whose well-wishes stayed with the Buccaneers QB, as he rose through the ranks.