Last offseason, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was coming off a Pro Bowl year after leading the franchise to the NFC South title and a playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mayfield hit career highs in yards (4,044), touchdowns (28) and completion percentage (64.3), but some still weren't convinced due to it only being one season of quality football.
Well, in 2024, Baker doubled down and had an even better season, which oddly didn't see him claim a Pro Bowl nod. Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and had a completion percentage of 71.4, but that didn't see him get the plaudits he deserves.
But now he has. NFL.com has ranked all starting quarterbacks from the 2024 season, and Mayfield comes in at No. 6, in front of Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, and behind only Jayden Daniels (No. 5), Jared Goff (No. 4), Joe Burrow (No. 3), Josh Allen (No. 2) and Lamar Jackson (No. 1).
"Mayfield's 2023 renaissance earned him a new contract, but also queued up the doubters who believed he had little chance of replicating such success under a different offensive coordinator in 2024," NFL.com writes. "Boy, were they wrong. Mayfield outdid himself this season, resetting his previous career-highs in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. His performance proved Tampa was right to take a flier on him in 2023 and cemented his status as the franchise's QB1."
Finally, Baker is getting the rewards for his play that has now stretched for two seasons, and when we factor in he's had a different offensive coordinator in both, it is even better.
However, that trend will continue in 2025, with Liam Coen now the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, so it might be tough to keep up this level of play.
But Mayfield has shown that his career resurgence isn't a flash in the pan, and now, having him play as a top-10-ish quarterback might be the standard.
