The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will begin training camp next week with a much better roster than last year.
Baker Mayfield got a new toy to work with in the offense as Emeka Ebuka comes to Tampa after a star-studded career at Ohio State.
Mayfield is coming off his two best seasons in the NFL. In 2023, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, leading the Bucs to the NFC South Division title.
In 2024, Mayfield was even better, completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 4500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
Now, entering his third year in Tampa and playing for his third offensive coordinator in three seasons, questions are being asked of Baker Mayfield.
Early predictions have the Bucs winning the NFC South again, but again falling short in their quest to win a third Super Bowl.
The entire starting offensive line returns, led by Tristan Wirfs, the best tackle in football.
The run game remains intact with Bucky Irving and Rachaad White as the primary playmakers.
The wide receiver room, already one of the best in football, got better with the addition of Ebuka. Ebuka joins a star-studded room led by future Hall of Famer Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan. Tight end Cade Otten should also improve as he embarks on his third year with the Bucs.
How much better can Baker Mayfield be? He could be in for a record-breaking year, as this offense is ripe with talent at every position.
To put into perspective how good Mayfield was last season, Mike Evans missed a month and Chris Godwin missed the final 11 weeks of the season with a leg injury. Despite this, Mayfield still passed for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns and was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl.
Peyton Manning holds the records for most passing yards in a season with 5,477 and most touchdown passes with 55. With the Bucs’ reliance on more of a running game, now that they have one with Bucky Irving, the offense would have to be more pass-happy to break any of these records.
Over the last two years, Mayfield has had better numbers than the NFL’s fanboy, Patrick Mahomes, who is widely regarded as the best quarterback in the NFL. Despite the gaudy stats, Mayfield remains the most underrated quarterback in the NFL.
Remember that Mayfield was not to blame for the 23-20 loss to the Washington Commanders in the first round of the playoffs. That is squarely on the shoulders of Todd Bowles and the defense. Bowles’ play calling was suspect, especially on fourth and short, while the defense did a terrible job keeping the Washington offense off the field.
The elephant in the room is the burning question that people are asking. Can Baker Mayfield take this team to a Super Bowl? The answer is yes. Baker Mayfield can lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl.
It undoubtedly got a little harder for Mayfield before training camp even opens, as his blind side protection tackle, Tristan Wirfs, will miss at least the season’s first four games.
Houston and Philadelphia are two of the first four games on the schedule, and as the Bucs enter October, they could be looking at a 2-2 record.
The other unknown is the impact of new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard on the offense. Grizzard was the game day pass game coordinator in 2024, so there should not be any considerable changes to the offensive philosophy. But until we get a sneak peek in the preseason (and that will be extremely vanilla), it’s hard to know.
Unfortunately, Baker Mayfield will not get his due nationally until he wins a Super Bowl. Even then, some will ignore his wins and the numbers he puts up and continue with their Baker Mayfield hate.
Buckle up, Bucs fans. It is shaping up to be a great football season at Raymond James Stadium. A season in which records could be broken, and the season ending with the Bucs lifting the Lombardi Trophy in February.