Seahawks 19, Rams 16 (OT)
Q. What was your message after the game?
BAKER MAYFIELD: Talked about just the battle overall throughout the season. Obviously I wasn't here for the majority of it, but with all the ups and downs, it's going to make you stronger. The game of football, everybody talks about it relates to life, so perspective is one thing that we can take away from this and all the ups and downs. Staying consistent to the ebbs and flows is one of the things we need to be able to take away from it.
Q. When he came in to see us, it's written all over his face all year kind of what this was, and I know you came in late in the year, but when you see and hear from him and your teammates, what was your perspective of the magnitude of what this team went through this season?
BAKER MAYFIELD: Injury-wise, just looking at the roster and how depleted it's been, it's unlike anything I've ever been a part of or seen. I can only imagine going from being on the top of the mountain and winning the Super Bowl to then going through a ton of struggles. None of that's very easy, but if you keep perspective, we can learn from this and it's going to make us stronger in the long run.
A lot of things that happened this year were out of their control. Just control what you can and move forward.
Q. You're a starting quarterback, and you proved that here, obviously. What's your plan moving forward? What will you do?
BAKER MAYFIELD: To be honest with you, last month and a half has been so dang crazy for me. I miss my wife. I miss my puppy. Going to take some time just to decompress a little bit.
Going to take some time away. I'm thankful for my time here. This place has been unbelievable for me. I think I'm going to look back and be really, really grateful for in short time period and the things I learned. We'll see what happens. I have no idea. Luckily I've got a few months for that, but I'm going to take some time just to decompress.
Q. We know they like you, you like them. You guys have enjoyed working together, but Matthew being QB1 here, have you thought about in terms of after you take time away, what your process is going to be, and will you be looking to be a starter somewhere?
BAKER MAYFIELD: Yeah. I mean, it's got to be the best opportunity. I'm not going to go chase a check to go start and play. After seeing a place that makes me have fun playing football again, it's going to be hard to try something else new, but obviously it's going to be a big-time decision, so there's going to be a lot of thought put into it, and there's going to be a lot of changes off-season all around the league. There's nothing I can say right now that I think would be the true thing. We're just going to see what happens and roll with the punches.
Q. Do you think you played well enough to be a starter here?
BAKER MAYFIELD: I know I'm good enough to be a starting quarterback. I have no doubt about that. Today I'm not real happy with how I played. I'm going to kick myself over and over for not putting the ball on the sideline for Van on that last play, but I know I'm a starting quarterback, I'm confident in that, and we'll just see what happens.
Q. Besides that enjoyed you mentioned, what else did you get or take away from this past month and experience and what did you get out of it personally? What do you feel like you gained?
BAKER MAYFIELD: Yeah, I think stepping into a new situation with a team that had been kind of low for a little bit, just realizing that the best version of me is somebody that comes in and just elevates everybody else, and just to bring that same energy every day and try and lead everybody as best I can and control that. That's what I'm very good at. I know that. That's what's gotten me this far.
It's brought the back to square one mentality for me, and I'm very happy and thankful for that.
Q. You met Sean a long time ago, but you learned him now, through this period. As a person, what can you tell us about who he is?
BAKER MAYFIELD: I mean, he is so truly invested in everything he has into this game, everything he thinks about is about football. That's why you see the toll that it takes on him.
I've had so much joy being around him and his staff that's been around him for a little bit longer than me, obviously, and just to see how they operate, the detail that goes it and how Sean leads and brings the best out of people, it's really special. There's no doubt about why they've had success here since he's been here and his leadership qualities.
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FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports