Big Play Baker Mayfield
October 13th, 2025
An ESPN TV screenshot.
Fans love the deep ball, and so does the NFL industrial hype complex.
That’s a good thing for the Bucs. Why? Because no quarterback has delivered more long touchdown throws than Baker Mayfield over the last 40 regular-season games. ESPN TV boldly shared the graphic above last night.
Again, that’s not just a this-year stat.
And Mayfield accomplished this while spending the 2024 season in Liam Coen’s successful dink-and-dunk offense. Coen’s successor, rookie playcaller Josh Grizzard, set out to emphasize more deep shots in the Bucs offense and it’s worked wonderfully.
Mayfield added to his total with long TD throws to Kameron Johnson and Tez Johnson in yesterday’s win against the 49ers.
Joe wonders where Grizzard will be coaching next year.
Baker Mayfield to Kameron Johnson for 6!
SFvsTB on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/wekh9o5I5q
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025
October 13th, 2025 at 8:30 am
Touchdown and king maker, Baker!
October 13th, 2025 at 8:34 am
Sign Grizz as assistant head coach now. Try to lock him down and keep him. Promise him Bowels spot when Bowels leaves.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:36 am
Organizations like the Jets and the Browns and the Giants sure are being exposed when quarterbacks that they drafted have gone on to do so well with other teams with better leadership and coaching. We have had amazing coaching with Todd, Bowles and Bruce Arians and a top-tier general manager in Jason. It just makes all the difference in the world. Then when you add Baker Mayfield to the mix and every man on that field wants to run through a wall for him it is just a great time to be a Bucks fan. I should know when I move to Tampa in 1976. It was a near as much fun.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:42 am
its not todds style to hold a coach back!!!!
grizz will become HC of the Fins or Jets and Thad Lewis will be our next OC!!!!
Thad is being groomed, and he’s been working with baker since day1…
Todd knows what he’s doing…each OC has been better than the last…
5-1!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 13th, 2025 at 8:45 am
Some clown on the Fox halftime report said Dak Prescott is his front runner for the MVP.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
October 13th, 2025 at 8:48 am
People, STOP with the sign Grizz to a long term mega $$$ contract. It won’t matter.
First, players and coaches are HIGHLY COMPETITIVE people. Its not just the money. They live and breathe for the chance to show everyone what an awesome HC they can be.
Second. NFL rules do not allow an organization to deny one of their assistant coaches to be hired by another organization as a HC. No, not even if its written into the assistant’s contract.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:51 am
Hopefully they find a way to keep Grizzard.
However, Bowles is 3 for 3 on OC hires. No reason to believe he won’t go 4 for 4.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:54 am
Start cross-training someone under Grizzard now, lol.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:55 am
Todd Blows is only still employed due to Baker, guy should get on his knees and thank Baker every day.
5-1 in spite of Todd
October 13th, 2025 at 9:06 am
Smarter than nobody
Did you see Baker’s post game presser. His overall point was that the Bucs played D.R.’s oft desired “complementary football”.
He pointed out how this team is bonded and how well the D played and he ADDED..HOW WELL COACHED THEY ARE.
So SMJ are you really trying to even suggest you know more than Baker and the rest of the league. I’d like to know what you have in your Cheerios? Do you eat it or smoke it?
October 13th, 2025 at 9:09 am
StPete, get em!
October 13th, 2025 at 9:12 am
Ole Bake out there SHINING in that Tampa, Florida sun. GO BUCS!!
October 13th, 2025 at 9:13 am
Smarter than Joe Says:
October 13th, 2025 at 8:55 am
Todd Blows is only still employed due to Baker, guy should get on his knees and thank Baker every day.
***************************************************************
Baker is employed only because of bowles you idiot!!!!!
5-1!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 13th, 2025 at 9:15 am
I’m a little surprised to see this.
Thrilled and happy, but surprised.
My impression of the 2023 season was the Baker struggled with the deep ball. I remember him connecting on some of them, but there seemed to be a lot of misses too. And it didn’t seem like we were taking a lot of deep shots that year.
Then, with last year’s dink and dunk, I don’t recall Baker throwing many deep shots at all. There were a few, but it didn’t/doesn’t seem to me to be enough to support this stat. I’m not denying it… just having fuzzy memories, I guess.
I’ve certainly noticed the uptick in them this year. And Baker connecting on them!
Still, this is a pleasant surprise. It speaks well of Baker, the WRs, and the O-Line (for protecting him long enough to let these plays develop).
October 13th, 2025 at 9:47 am
Does anyone really miss Coen? Is there another coach more adept at selecting offensive coordinator than Bowles? Bowles is now 11-2 in last 13 regular season games!!!
October 13th, 2025 at 10:04 am
If Grizzard is offered a HC job, he should take it. Just be above board. He could pull a Ben Johnson and wait for the right opportunity, but there’s no guarantees. If the offense takes a step back, those opportunities dry up fast.
Some franchises are perptual dumpster fires with lousy management (Browns and Jets come to mind, Cincy is another) and passing on those jobs would be understandable. The Find have a franchise QB that’s one more good hit away from permanently eating through a straw.
I agree that Todd isn’t gonna coach forever. However, thanks to the Rooney Rule, they can’t name him the successor – even wink/nod pinky swear promise. If that got out, the Glazers would be screwed. Personally, my opinion is the Rooney rule should not be in play for in house promotions. Teams should be given latitude to retain talent. Especially for teams like the Bucs who have a solid track record of fairness in hiring (Dungy, Morris, Smith and now Bowles).
October 13th, 2025 at 10:05 am
I believe in 2020 he was the mist accurate deep thrower.
October 13th, 2025 at 10:09 am
Who is the clown? Did not the Cowboys get ripped off their horse and devoured by the Panthers in some Mountain pass?
October 13th, 2025 at 10:43 am
Pretty sure Coen looked at Baker’s ’23 deep balls and decided they weren’t his strong suit, and decided on dink and dunk. Baker definitely better at them now
October 13th, 2025 at 10:44 am
Hopefully, a cure is found some day for BDS (Bowles Derangement Syndrome). Several commenters seem to be at Stage 4.
I have a diagnostic test. @SmarterthanJoe, answer this question: Todd Bowles is responsible for climate change.
True or false?
October 13th, 2025 at 10:51 am
“Baker definitely better at them now”
@Beeej Go look on you tube – you will lots of deep ball highlights at Cleveland.
October 13th, 2025 at 10:51 am
Jason and Todd should do whatever is necessary to make sure Griz remains a Buccaneer. Assistant HC promotion, and an understanding that the succession plan has Griz as HC of the Bucs. (Rooney rule has to be navigated by others wanting to hire Griz also.) Also, stipulate that he has full time coordinators. No dual hatting.
October 13th, 2025 at 10:53 am
I would suggest that this is just the beginning of the explosive deep shots. Baker had the most yards per completion in his rookie and second season while with the Browns at over 12 yards per completion. He is at 11.9 this year thus far which is his highest since his first two seasons. So he could always throw deep for the chunk plays and bombs. He was just handcuffed in those in between seasons by poor coaching and middling receivers until he arrived here.
October 13th, 2025 at 11:19 am
MikeBuc,
People like Beeej just say dumb stuff all the time. They get away with it because most don’t ever correct them. You could spend a week not just correcting Beeej on dumb things said about football but also politics, weather, you name it.
October 13th, 2025 at 11:34 am
I like Bowles. I’ll start with that. But as I said before. The perfect scenario is to win the SB. Then Bowles decides to retire and Grizz becomes our HC.
So far so good.
October 13th, 2025 at 11:47 am
6 games in and folks want grizz to be HC of the BUCS lol….
maybe Thad Lewis is better….gotta be a reason why he’s still around and bakers play has gotten better each year Thad has been the QB coach…
5-1!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 13th, 2025 at 11:54 am
813: Smarter than Joe is Dumber than Joe. StJ keeps it stirred up so Joe tolerates him. I’m still trying to clear my head. The Walking Wounded Bucs are 5-1, right now the top dawg in the NFC. You can bet this long time, long suffering and loyal Bucs fan is enjoying every minute of it. Go Mighty Bucs!!
October 13th, 2025 at 11:59 am
baker has always been extremely accurate with the deep passes-all the way back to when he played at oklahoma. it’s driven me nuts to see people here talking about him not being able to throw more than 10-15 yds, and that he needed a dink and dunk offense to be successful.
there’s a reason he won the heisman and was drafted #1. he could thread the needle into coverage on absolute bombs. he just hasn’t really had both an oline that could hold long enough for those plays to develop and quality receivers who ran great routes/could get open downfield at the same time. he’s had great olines without the receivers, or great receivers but a weak oline. even so, he’s still been able to have some amazing deep passes at cleveland and even here with the bucs but not super often.
October 13th, 2025 at 12:01 pm
orlbucfan says:You can bet this long time, long suffering and loyal Bucs fan is enjoying every minute of it. Go Mighty Bucs!!
BINGO!!!!!!!!!
LOL!!!!!
5-1!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 13th, 2025 at 12:20 pm
Could see dolphins go after Griz help with fins QB
need comp picks for OC’s leaving
October 13th, 2025 at 1:08 pm
Gipper Says:
You WOUND me sir!
October 13th, 2025 at 2:47 pm
Say it ain’t so Joe.
Another OC gone after the season.
Baker’s a king maker.
October 13th, 2025 at 10:00 pm
813, Bakers play has gotten better only because he had been through hell and it had made him second guess himself. Now with the Bucs, he has been able to get his game back. Baker has always thrown a very accurate deep ball. It is why with each passing year since 2023 he has gotten better. The question is, when will he reach his ceiling.