Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield may be a bona fide franchise quarterback now, but his NFL career has been quite the rollercoaster.
Mayfield credits his wife, Emily, for helping him keep his head on straight during some turbulent years earlier in their marriage. In fact, in a recent interview, the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner indicated that he wouldn’t have achieved the success he has to date without Emily by his side.
How Soon Did Baker Mayfield Know He’d Marry His Wife Emily?
It turns out that it was more or less love at first sight for Mayfield when he met his future wife in 2017 through a mutual friend, as was originally reported by ESPN’s Mina Kimes.
In a chat on Monday Night Countdown prior to the Bucs’ duel with the Detroit Lions, Mayfield revealed that a friend named Patrick — who was the first person he met once he transferred from Texas Tech to Oklahoma — asked Emily if Baker could have her number. She declined.
Baker resorted to the classic repeat follow-unfollow maneuver to get Emily’s attention, sliding into her DMs, and so forth. Eventually, Emily relented by telling Patrick that Baker could have her number.
On their first date, where Emily was impressed by how much her future husband took a genuine interest in her life, Baker was convinced he would marry her someday, as seen in the caption below, via espnW.
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The happily married couple has a young daughter, and Emily went on to say that her groom is, “such a softie” and that she “knew he’d be a good dad.”
Emily also praised Mayfield’s vulnerability, which he’s only discovered in the past couple of years. It’s no secret that when he’s on the field, Mayfield is as fiery a competitor as there is, with the brash machismo and trash-talking antics that make him one of the NFL‘s most fun players to watch.
However, sometimes that kind of personality can wear thin when the results aren’t there. That became the case for Mayfield when he crashed out in Cleveland, as the Browns gave up on him as their QB of the future. A rocky stint with the Panthers and a brief stop with the Rams preceded his arrival in Tampa, where he’s developed into the long-term successor for none other than the GOAT himself, Tom Brady.
In the midst of all that adversity and how difficult it must have been on Mayfield himself to stay upbeat, Emily was the rock at home he could lean on during tough times. Safe to say they’ve emerged to become closer than ever, bonded with a child, and Mayfield is playing the best football of his pro career with the Bucs.
Perseverance is one of Baker’s greatest strengths. It sure paid off to score that first lunch date with Emily despite some initial rejection. The rest, as they say, is history.
