How seriously should the Bucs be taken this year? Many of us in Tampa feel that the Super Bowl window is open now, but that also means they have to overcome some of the other teams that finished ahead of them last season. The good news is, quarterback Baker Mayfield is coming off the best season of his career with 4,500 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns.
After Mayfield signed his big three-year deal last offseason, there were some questions about how much better Mayfield would get after the Bucs committed $100 million to him. The answer evidently was much better, and he elevated his game to new heights that had yet to be seen.
What does Mayfield do for a third act?
It might just be time for a deeper playoff run.
Some national media believe the Bucs at least deserve to be in the Super Bowl conversation in 2025.
Baker Mayfield Gets A Lot Of Credit For Bucs’ Success
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and TE Cade Otton – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR
In an article from Cody Benjamin on CBS Sports ranking the top five teams that are the biggest threat to defending champion Eagles, the Bucs are not listed in the top five but do get an honorable mention nod.
A big reason for the honorable mention has to do with their quarterback Baker Mayfield. Here’s what was said in the post.
“Maybe it’s time we start giving Baker Mayfield some legitimate respect, now that he’s thrown a combined 69 (!) touchdowns in two seasons with the Bucs. Yes, he’s also gutsy in a dangerous way, with 26 picks over that same span. But he elevated an injury-riddled lineup in 2024, and if Chris Godwin can stay on the field this time, maybe they can steal the NFC South yet again.”
Ranking from one to five were the Commanders, Bengals, Rams, Lions and Bills in terms of being the biggest threat to dethrone the Eagles. The other honorable mention teams besides the Bucs were the Vikings, Chiefs, Texans, Packers and Ravens. You can read the entire article by clicking this link.
It’ll be interesting when more quarterback rankings come out as we get closer to the season about how others in the media feelsabout Baker Mayfield heading into the year. Only he and Joe Burrow are coming off of seasons where they threw for at least 4,500 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2024. That shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Bucs’ Super Window Is Open
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Baker Mayfield will benefit from heading into the 2025 season with his entire unit back on offense. The Bucs were at top four offense last year, so the continuity will still be there even with Josh Grizzard taking over as offensive coordinator, since he was also there last season. It’s important to also factor in that wide receiver Chris Godwin will be back this season and presumably play more than seven games, making Tampa Bay’s offense even more of a threat in 2025.
What may help Mayfield and the team more than anything is an upgraded defense. The Bucs started that process by signing edge rusher Haason Reddick, a two-time Pro Bowler, to a one-year deal while also building depth at cornerback by signing Kindle Vildor and re-signing Bryce Hall, who also will also hopefully play more games this time around. In this year’s draft, most of the attention will also be paid to that side of the ball in Tampa Bay.
Mayfield currently has a 2-3 playoff record, including a 1-2 postseason record with the Bucs. There are a handful of big-name quarterbacks in front of him with more career playoff wins, but not by a big margin. Lamar Jackson has just three postseason wins in his career, while Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff and Joe Burrow are all at five. Depending on how the season goes with a good playoff run, he could surpass a couple of those top QBs this year.
While he hasn’t played in a Super Bowl yet, Baker Mayfield has played in a handful of important, meaningful games, and that should get him ready for the biggest one of his career. He has at least two more seasons with the Bucs to get to it, but it’s well within reason to believe that Baker Mayfield can someday be playing for – and perhaps hoisting – the Lombardi Trophy.
