Kenneth Gainwell
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Baker Mayfield played a role in Kenneth Gainwell's decision to sign with the Buccaneers in free agency
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a bit of an uneven start to free agency. While they have brought some new faces to town, they have also lost key contributors such as Mike Evans, Jamel Dean, and Rachaad White. As for the latter, though, he was quickly replaced, as the team signed former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell early in free agency.
Gainwell enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Steelers in 2025, and he will now come in and work alongside Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker in the running back room. There were several reasons why Gainwell decided to sign with Tampa Bay, but it sounds like quarterback Baker Mayfield may have played a role in his decision.
Kenneth Gainwell Dishes on Baker Mayfield
Ian Rapoport
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: New #Bucs RB Kenny Gainwell joins the show to talk about his free agency, why it was Tampa Bay, and his future goals.
After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles as a secondary running back, Gainwell signed a one-year contract with the Steelers last offseason. While he was initially believed to be set to work as the No. 2 option behind Jaylen Warren, Gainwell quickly earned a larger role on offense for Pittsburgh.
With an increase in touches, Gainwell put together the best season of his career. On the ground, he ran for 537 yards and five touchdowns on 114 carries, but he was also one of the Steelers’ most effective weapons in the passing game, as he caught 73 passes for 486 yards and three more scores. By the end of the season, Gainwell was getting used just as much, if not more, than Warren.
Once he hit free agency, though, it seemed pretty clear that Gainwell would look for a bigger role with a new team. That ended up seeing him land with the Buccaneers, although it’s worth noting he will find himself in a similar situation with Irving, who is the lead running back for the time being. Gainwell is looking forward to assimilating himself into the offense, though, and he recently revealed that he’s “excited” to get to work with Mayfield in particular.
“I’m just excited to play with him,” Gainwell said on “The Insiders.” “I know his attitude towards the game and how he plays football, that’s my mindset, too. I go into this thing full-steam ahead and just try to play football as hard as I can. I love his attitude towards the game … I want to play the same way.”
Kenneth Gainwell Set to Have Big Role in Buccaneers’ Offense
Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
GettyKenneth Gainwell #14 of the Pittsburgh Steelers scores a second quarter touchdown against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 21, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
As noted above, Irving is Tampa Bay’s top option at running back for now, but he’s coming off a rough 2025 campaign. Not only did Irving miss seven games due to injury, but his yards per carry also dropped from 5.4 in 2024 all the way down to 3.4 in 2025. If he can’t improve his efficiency on a per-carry basis, the Bucs could be in trouble.
That’s why the team brought Gainwell to town. Not only can he serve as a third-down complement to Irving, but he can also handle a lead workload if need be. So while this may appear to be something of a lateral move for Gainwell in terms of his workload, it’s clear that Tampa Bay has big expectations for him heading into the 2026 campaign.