Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to stay together this offseason with a new three-year deal worth $100 million and possibly up to as much as $115 million. Now, they’re preparing for the upcoming 2024 NFL season with a goal of getting back to the playoffs and making a deeper run.
Last season, the Buccaneers ended up coming out on top of the NFC South division. They made it to the playoffs and ended up defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. Unfortunately, their season came to an end in the next round against the Detroit Lions.
In addition to keeping Mayfield, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were also able to keep his No. 1 target, Mike Evans. Tampa Bay should be thrilled with what they were able to do during the offseason.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Disrespected By NFL Analyst
With the 2024 NFL season coming up quickly, Pro Football Focus has released their first rankings of all quarterbacks. In their rankings, they disrespected Mayfield.
PFF ranked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ signal caller as the No. 20 ranked quarterback in the NFL. They also threw some subtle shade at the successful season he had in 2023.
“Overall, Mayfield was erratic, with 25 big-time throws and 22 turnover-worthy plays. But over the final four games he earned a top-10 passing grade, including an elite Week 15 performance on the road in Green Bay that propelled the Buccaneers to a strong finish and a playoff berth.”
Let’s take a closer look at the season that Mayfield put up for the Buccaneers in 2023.
Mayfield ended up playing in all 17 games during the season and completed 64.3 percent of his pass attempts for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also picked up 163 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Those numbers aren’t bad at all and certainly warrant a higher ranking than No. 20 on the first rankings of the 2024 season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback was ranked below Kyler Murray, Geno Smith, Caleb Williams, and Kirk Cousins. While those players may finish the season above him in the rankings, they don’t deserve it just yet.
Hopefully, Mayfield will be able to come into the 2024 season and prove his critics and doubters wrong. It’s great to see him back in a good position with the Buccaneers and thriving. Mayfield is always full of confidence and everyone knows that these rankings will only motivate him to play even better.
