TAMPA, Fla. — The surprising revival of Baker Mayfield’s NFL career has built enough buzz that this summer, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback landed a commercial endorsement from Popeye’s, whose new and improved wings inspire him in the ad to be “Better Mayfield.”
Two years ago, Mayfield was decidedly mild, playing for three teams in less than a year. He went from being the No. 1 pick to a journeyman in five years, becoming fortunate enough to grab a one-year, $4 million deal as Tampa Bay looked for a budget-friendly successor to Tom Brady.
He responded with the best season of his NFL career, good enough to upgrade to a three-year, $100 million deal. He validated that by again resetting his career highs in 2024: 41 touchdown passes and 4,500 yards, arguably the best non-Brady season ever for a Bucs quarterback.
So, having done that and throwing more touchdown passes (69) than anyone in the NFL in the last two seasons, how does he improve yet again in 2025?
“More wins,” Mayfield said Wednesday, a goal and motivation that will carry into January as the Bucs seek to make more of a postseason splash than they have with one playoff win in the last two seasons.
Mayfield, 30, is a better quarterback than you realize. He finished in the top five last year in three major passing statistics, trailing only Joe Burrow in touchdown passes, ranking third in passing yards and fourth in passer rating. The Bucs won division titles in Brady’s last two seasons, and Mayfield has matched that in his two seasons. In fact, in Brady’s final year, Tampa Bay won the NFC South despite an 8-9 record in 2022. With Mayfield, the Buccaneers’ record has improved in each of the last two seasons, going to 9-8 in 2023 before a 10-7 year in 2024.
Last season’s improvement also came as Mayfield dealt with injuries to his talented receiver corps. He played three games without Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans and 10 without Chris Godwin, who also seems likely to miss the start of the 2025 season. While the Bucs continue to be limited by injuries, the addition of first-round pick Emeka Egbuka, a promising receiver from Ohio State, gives them one of the deepest receiver rooms in the league.
Baker Mayfield, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans have helped form one of the NFL’s best passing attacks over the last couple of seasons, although Godwin missed the majority of the 2024 season. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
As prolific as Mayfield has been, he’s also thrown the most interceptions in the league over the last two seasons (26). So, that’s a focus for his personal improvement this fall.
“Turnovers, No. 1,” Mayfield said. “That is stuff that is going to happen. There is going to be an errant throw that, obviously, I am not trying to throw it to the defense, but I just miss it. Physical mistakes are going to happen. It is more the decision making. Those are the ones that when we talk about situationally, how to be aggressive, where are we at in the field, and what are we looking at. Those are the ones that I am really trying to fine-tune that. That’s always a work in progress … so, fine-tuning that. And once again, we have some new pieces, getting everybody on the same page. Because when you have all 11 on the same page, good things happen.”
Mayfield has been something of an NFL kingmaker in his two years in Tampa, helping get two first-year offensive coordinators promoted to head coaching positions. First, it was Dave Canales, who became the head coach of the Carolina Panthers in 2024. Then, it was Liam Coen who became the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach this past offseason. Transitioning to a new coordinator has been a staple of Mayfield’s career, from his days in Cleveland to bouncing to the Panthers and Los Angeles Rams in 2022, to now in Tampa, where he’ll work with 34-year-old Josh Grizzard.
The Bucs have done more than win a bad division under Mayfield. Last year’s team had regular-season wins against the best teams in the NFC, knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders. They lost to the Commanders in the wild-card round, and have a schedule ahead that will pit them against the conference’s best, playing host to the Eagles and traveling to the Lions. They open the season Sunday at Atlanta, facing a Falcons team that swept them last year, and a win will set one of them as the team to beat in the division.
Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers are looking to avenge their playoff loss to Jayden Daniels and the Commanders last season. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
As big a raise as Mayfield got last year, he could have another even bigger bump ahead. He has two years left on his current deal, but if his 2025 is anything like his 2024, he’ll be in line for a lucrative new deal. Mayfield’s clearest path to a bigger contract is elevating the level of team success — not just winning a fifth straight division title, but making a push in January. They’re confident enough to know that’s where the real success will be determined.
“You want to set your own expectations,” Mayfield said. “When you look into our roster from top to bottom, it probably should be the guess and the bet. But we set our own standard, and our standard is we win the division the last few years. We are not just trying to do that; we are trying to take it to the next level. So, when you set the standard, you try and live up to it each day. That is what we are trying to do … elevate each other, get better each day at whatever you are trying to focus on. So yeah, the goal is Super Bowl.”
It takes a fearless quarterback to take over a team from a seven-time Super Bowl champ, but Mayfield has done that, becoming an unquestioned team leader in a locker room built around homegrown talent. As low as he was when he came to Tampa, he’s as high as he’s ever been in the NFL, grateful for a city and team that embraced him from the very beginning. Channeling his chicken-wing namesake, he has proudly remained unchanged at his core: I am what I am.
“From the time I stepped foot in here, they told me to be myself,” he said. “From the journey I’ve been on, the ups and downs, I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity. Getting an extension here, even more grateful for that. They’ve built such a great culture here, from top down, and that’s what matters. That’s allowed me to hit the ground running. It’s 2025, another opportunity to see what we can do. It’s finally here. Let’s see what happens.”
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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