NFL's Baker Mayfield Reveals How God Used Failure to Lead Him to Faith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield recently shared his testimony discussing how he found grace through Jesus despite struggling with emptiness and a tumultuous career.
“God taught me a lesson,” Mayfield, 29, said on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast. “He had to take my career down to the studs and make me realize that I’m more than a football player.”
Mayfield, who won the 2017 Heisman Trophy, split from the Cleveland Browns in 2022 after being selected as the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Church Leaders reports. Following his departure, Mayfield underwent shoulder surgery and jumped to playing for the Panthers and the Rams before landing in Tampa Bay.
The quarterback also previously had a high-profile arrest in 2017 for public intoxication and other charges.
At one point, Mayfield and his wife, Emily, “weren’t doing well,” and their attempt to have children “wasn’t going well” either. Nowadays, the couple have an almost year old baby girl.
Mayfield credited his wife and their baby daughter for helping him understand God’s unconditional love.
“God’s been waiting for me to accept that for a long time,” the athlete said, adding that he wants her daughter to learn she’s “loved no matter what, for exactly who you are. You’re made perfectly.”
Together, the Mayfields are currently mentoring others living in the sports spotlight through the Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO) and are also helping children and teens “tackle life’s challenges” through their foundation.
Growing up, Mayfield held to the notion that being a Christian simply meant being a good person, as he only attended church on Christmas and Easter. A pastor, however, would change his perspective while attending the University of Oklahoma.
“I didn’t have to be perfect, didn’t have to have it all figured out,” Mayfield acknowledged. “We’re all born sinners and…we’ve been saved.”
After the Mayfields got involved in PAO, the athlete noted “vulnerable” so he could “accept the grace” that Jesus offers.
“I had to dive into the Word,” Mayfield added, noting that the faith journey is “constant work because the enemy is out to get you.”
Faith “is something that has to be part of the daily routine, and you have to make your priorities align with that,” Mayfield stressed.
When asked how he would share Christ with a young teammate, Mayfield said the following:
“Jesus is obviously the Son of God. But it is grace, it’s perfection. Somebody that sacrificed everything that gave us this opportunity to live life. For me, when you say he’s your Lord and Savior, you proclaim it whenever you can,” he said. “But he’s the reason we’re here, and the story of Jesus walking among the flesh, the only perfect man and to be sacrificed on the cross and die for our sins forever. And when you accept that grace, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
WATCH: Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Shares His Testimony of Faith in Jesus Christ
Photo Credit: ©YouTube/Sports Spectrum
Originally published March 25, 2025.
