Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield enjoys shooting commercials. “I have fun because it’s always one of those things where I don’t take myself too seriously."
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield enjoys shooting commercials. “I have fun because it’s always one of those things where I don’t take myself too seriously."
TAMPA — Baker Mayfield is cooking off the field again, pitching more than footballs with new national ad campaigns for Popeyes and Uber Eats.
The Bucs quarterback used to be well known for his Progressive Insurance commercials, “At Home with Baker Mayfield,” where he was humorously portrayed as living in the Cleveland Browns’ stadium.
Now he is Better Mayfield, inspired by the improvement to Popeyes chicken wings.
“Popeyes wings got better,” Mayfield says in one of the ads. “Now spicy and mild. Sauced and dry rubbed? If Popeyes can make better wings, I can be Better Mayfield.”
The series of spots also includes a cameo from Bucs defensive tackle Vita Vea.
“He just keeps getting better,” Vea says in the ad, which was filmed at Raymond James Stadium this summer.
Originally, the Popeyes ad was supposed to co-star Tristan Wirfs, but the All-Pro left tackle had to undergo surgery for a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
“I always have fun with that stuff,” Mayfield said. “... The thing that came out is really just a full montage of all the different spots. There’s a couple of them with Vita in it that are really good. But it’s four or five six-hour days that you knock it out and you see what kind of magic those people can do.”
Mayfield’s whimsical grin and self-deprecating personality make him a perfect athlete to star in commercials.
“I have fun because it’s always one of those things where I don’t take myself too seriously,” Mayfield said. “Just enjoy it, and to be able to do it with a teammate is always a blast.”
Mayfield and his now wife, Emily, filmed 20 Progressive commercials over two days that began airing in 2019. The production concluded only 10 days before they were married.
The spots were wildly popular but also drew criticism because his success off the field didn’t match what the Browns were experiencing.
But Mayfield has found a home with the Bucs, leading them to back-to-back NFC South titles and landing a three-year, $100-million contract. No one is doubting his performance after he passed for a career-high 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns last season.
The Uber Eats commercial, which has yet to air, was filmed in Pennsylvania and co-stars Hollywood actor and unabashed Philadelphia Eagles fan Bradley Cooper.
![Bradley Cooper walks off the field after Super Bowl 59, which his Eagles won over the Chiefs on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 413"/%3E)
Bradley Cooper walks off the field after Super Bowl 59, which his Eagles won over the Chiefs on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.
“It will be a good one,” Mayfield said. “A little Bradley Cooper action. Good guy.
“First time I’ve met him. It was fun. Getting to meet people like that is always interesting. He’s a huge football fan, but an Eagles fan to the core. I was talking to him about that. He was obviously happy for the Super Bowl win, but I told him they’ve got to come back down to Tampa again, so we’ll see.”
The Bucs host the Eagles on Dec. 29.
Mayfield’s acting talents were tested about 10 months ago when he surprised Bucs fans as fictional character Gus Swayze in “Eli Manning Presents: The Undercovers,” which premiered on Amazon Prime on Oct. 3, 2024. Mayfield disguised himself as Swayze at the Bucs indoor facility, interacting with fans, staff and teammates before revealing his true identity.
Mayfield said the commercials become a conversation starter with fans.
“It gives people, and the fans, much like the Gus Swayze thing, something to be able to enjoy and relate to when they come up and talk to me and approach me, it’s something for them to be able to talk about from the beginning and it’s always fun to be able to get more people involved,” Mayfield said.
Now the big reveal: Is Mayfield a Popeyes guy?
“I used to be,” Mayfield said. “I hadn’t had it in a long time. Not exactly the gluten-free special. There was one Popeyes growing up when I would go across town to play baseball that we’d always stop at whether it was a scrimmage or post-practice. That is always a treat. It hit home a little bit.”
Up next
PRESEASON FINALE
vs. Bills, 7:30 Saturday, Raymond James Stadium TV/radio: WFLA-Ch. 8; 97.9-FM
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