Way back in the 2022 season, Mayfield found himself in an unfamiliar place as a temporary football nomad searching for a home. He’d been traded from Cleveland to Carolina in the offseason, was released by the Panthers after appearing in seven games (six starts) and latched on with the Rams, a team mired in a Super Bowl hangover brought on by injuries, for the final five weeks of the season.
McVay’s Rams desperately needed a temporary but viable option under center and claimed Mayfield via waivers one day after Carolina parted 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 in their Thursday night contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mayfield famously replaced John Wolford in that game and directed an electric two-minute drill to propel the Rams to a stunning win over the Raiders, then spent the remaining month as the Rams’ starting quarterback, receiving direction from both McVay and Robinson, who was serving as Los Angeles’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Though Mayfield departed for Tampa Bay in 2023, it seems as if the brief time shared with Robinson sold the quarterback on the play-caller’s potential. After all, if Mayfield is going to be forced to play under yet another new offensive coordinator, he might as well do it with someone he knows.
Robinson, meanwhile, will aim to achieve the same success another former McVay lieutenant — current Jaguars coach Liam Coen — enjoyed during his own one-year stint with Mayfield in Tampa Bay.
