After a tumultuous few years, Baker Mayfield is looking to get to the top of the mountain as he begins year three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following up a breakout sophomore campaign, Mayfield put up impressive and best numbers of his career. Now, he’s hellbent on capitalizing on that success and winning many more productive fights for his team. He holds the record for 19 wins in his first two seasons with the Buccaneers. He’s hellbent on transforming his individual accomplishments into collective achievements.
In his final year, Mayfield passed for an astounding 41 touchdowns, tying him for second in the NFL. He tallied an exceptional 4,500 passing yards, placing third in the league. Further, he had an NFL-best completion percentage of 71.4% this season, which ranked him third among all NFL quarterbacks. These statistics underscore Mayfield’s capabilities as a quarterback, making him a key player for the Buccaneers as they strive for improvement this season.
This past Sunday’s season opener at home against the Atlanta Falcons was a promising start but a worrisome outing for Mayfield. He only finished with a 53.1% completion percentage. In fact, early on, he almost lost the game for Georgia, starting two-of-eight in the first period. Second to this was pressure, as he was pressured on 40.5% of his dropbacks. The quarterback acknowledged the challenges posed by the Falcons’ defense, stating, “Anytime you play a team like this that has two bona fide studs on the edge, you game plan for them.”
Despite these setbacks, Mayfield showcased his resilience and skill during critical moments of the game. He converted all four of these third scramble downs, getting a total of 39 yards. One run in particular was memorable, as he exploded for 20 yards on a third-quarter run. He hit fellow rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka with a perfect deep ball. That play turned out to be one of the most important plays in the game-winning drive.
Mayfield led the Buccaneers to a 23-20 victory over the Falcons, culminating in a two-minute drive that sealed their win. Reflecting on the team’s effort, he emphasized the importance of doing their jobs at a high level: “Not doing too much — just do your job, your job only, at the very highest level you possibly can and then just execute it.”
Coach Todd Bowles noted Mayfield’s growth within the team’s system, stating, “Having been in the offense for a year and coming back in the same system finally, I think he’s really taken the bull by the horns, so to speak.” Bowles said that as the game speeds up, Mayfield remains unflappable. This means that Mayfield has actually done an incredible job of succeeding in chaos.
The Buccaneers did their part, too, making moves to their roster and contracts to support Mayfield’s hopes for a renaissance season. In the offseason, he got himself a restructured deal that guarantees him $30 million through 2026. To shamelessly borrow ESPN’s tagline, this financial commitment doesn’t only represent their faith in his potential but their commitment to building around him going forward.
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