College foes do end up as NFL teammates.
However, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ new quarterback Baker Mayfield is not completely prepared to bury the hatchet with new Bucs kicker Rodrigo Blankenship.
They met on the field briefly today at the Bucs minicamp more than five years after the 2018 Rose Bowl when Blankenship’s leg was integral to the Georgia Bulldogs defeating Mayfield’s Oklahoma Sooners.
What Mayfield Said To Blankenship
A microphone picked up what Mayfield jokingly said as he shook Blankenship’s hand.
“I still don’t like you.”
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield to Rodrigo Blankenship today, “I still don’t like you.”
Blankenship was Georgia’s kicker in their classic Rose Bowl win over Oklahoma in 2018 😅 @CFBONFOX
(via @kyle_burger)pic.twitter.com/PuDMgK5MhC
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) June 13, 2023
Blankenship’s Rose Bowl Performance
Blankenship was perfect on the day against Oklahoma.
He kicked six extra points and two field goals, one was a 55-yarder, the longest in Rose Bowl history.
Blankenship accounted for 12 points in Georgia’s come-from-behind 54-48 win over Oklahoma.
That game was Oklahoma’s to lose as they had a 31-17 lead at halftime but could not hold on.
Mayfield is a diehard Sooner so it is not surprising that he has not forgotten about Blankenship’s role in the last game of his college career.
Mayfield is a friend and former teammate of Nick Chubb when he was with the Cleveland Browns; Chubb also was part of Georgia’s success in that game.
Blankenship and Mayfield will become friendly especially if Blankenship kicks well and helps Mayfield (if he is named QB1) and the Bucs win games in the first year after Tom Brady left the building.
Will Mayfield Win The QB1 Job?
It is not a foregone conclusion that Baker Mayfield will be the Bucs’ QB1 in 2023.
He has some work to do to impress his coaches and earn the job.
Many hope that Mayfield can return to his 2020 form which was a big reason why the Browns made it to the playoffs and won their wildcard game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Injuries in 2021 and the instability of being on three teams’ rosters in the calendar year of 2022 are in the past so it is now or never for Baker to shine.
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