Way back in the 2022 season, Mayfield found himself in an unfamiliar place as a temporary football nomad in search of a home. He had been traded from Cleveland to Carolina this summer, was released by the Panthers after appearing in seven games (six starts) and pitched for the Rams, a team suffering a Super Bowl hangover due to injuries, in the final five weeks of the season.
Desperately needing a temporary but viable option under center, McVay’s Rams claimed Mayfield on waivers one day after Carolina parted ways with the former No. 1 overall pick, giving Mayfield less than 48 hours to travel to Los Angeles and learn McVay’s playbook in time to play Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mayfield famously replaced John Wolford in that game and led an electrifying two-minute drill to power the Rams to a blowout win over the Raiders, then spent the rest of the month as the Rams’ starting quarterback, receiving guidance from both McVay and Robinson, who served as Los Angeles’ pass game coordinator and quarterback.
While Mayfield is headed to Tampa Bay in 2023, it seems the short time Robinson shares has sold the quarterback on the player’s potential. After all, if Mayfield is forced to play under yet another new offensive coordinator, he might as well do it with someone he knows.
Robinson, meanwhile, will aim to match the success another former McVay lieutenant — current Jaguars coach Liam Coen — enjoyed during his own one-year stint with Mayfield in Tampa Bay.