No one can argue that under the guidance of Baker Mayfield, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been a relatively consistent football team, making the postseason in both years.
Plus, Mayfield has had a career resurgence, making the Pro Bowl in his first season, and then last year, having a career-best season with 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns en route to another Pro Bowl selection.
But there is one thing that isn't so good - the interceptions. Baker had 16 last season, tied with Kirk Cousins for the most in football.
Head coach Todd Bowles, speaking at the annual league meeting, said reducing turnovers is a key ingredient for Mayfield in 2025.
"That's number one," Bowles said. "We've always got to take care of the football – that's number one. When you play like Baker plays, you're going to have a mistake here or there. We'd like to cut that down if we can, but we're not going to hinder his play. We love the way he plays, we love what he does for us. For the turnovers that he gave, we'd never be in playoff position if it wasn't for him in the first place. We're fine there, we've just got to clean up some things and he knows that."
Mayfield had five games of multiple interceptions, and the Bucs were 3-2 in those games. So, if there had been fewer turnovers, the Buccaneers might have had an easier run into the postseason.
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But as Bowles states, that is part and parcel of playing with Mayfield. He will give some away, but he will also win you games with some sublime performances, so you take the good with the bad.
However, it is clear Bowles wants his quarterback to reel in those pesky turnovers, and if he does, the Buccaneers will again be favorites to continue their NFC South dominance.
