Baker Mayfield, Running And A Backup QB
February 4th, 2026
Running QB necessitates a good backup.
Watching Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield run the ball is a double-edged sword.
Damn, Joe loves to see Mayfield take off, juke defensive linemen and run over linebackers for a hard-fought first down. That’s some of the most fun in football.
But that awesome, fun play that lights up his teammates and jacks up the crowd comes with a price. And Joe is confident that price cost the Bucs a playoff berth this past season.
Mayfield was an MVP candidate before the bye. After the bye, you wondered if the Bucs should be drafting a quarterback in the expected-to-be-loaded quarterback draft in 2027.
That’s just the way Mayfield plays. And if you neuter him, you take away his greatest attributes.
Mayfield was largely miserable after the bye. Joe is convinced he was so hurt that he couldn’t throw.
While the Bucs are quick to deny the following, Joe guesses Mayfield was so hurt he shouldn’t have been on the field.
“This Joe” believes the Bucs had Mayfield play through the pain because the team did not trust backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. And that’s sad because a playoff berth was basically sacrificed because the Bucs did not trust their backup.
Joe knows the Bucs don’t like to spend a lot of cash on a backup quarterback. Joe normally applauds this. Why pay good money to a guy you hope never takes the field? Instead, use that Team Glazer loot to bring in a linebacker who can make many plays each week. That’s just common-sense football economics.
However, Mayfield is prone to injury. And he’s no longer a spring chicken. Mayfield will turn 31 in April. NFL players don’t generally get less brittle on the wrong side of 30.
The Bucs need a backup they can trust to maybe play two or three games and give the Bucs a reasonably good shot at winning without Mayfield.
What would be such a problem with bringing in Joe Flacco or Jimmy GQ or even Case Keenum, all unrestricted free agents next month? Joe is not talking about starting these guys.
A decent backup this past fall may have been the difference between the Bucs being in the playoffs or watching the playoffs from a beach bar in the DR.
February 4th, 2026 at 7:25 am
Baker has a history of playing injured. The coaches have to manage him better. They need to sit him and let him get better. Me might lose the games he sits but at least there is a good chance that we can win the games when he come back healthy.
February 4th, 2026 at 7:31 am
Smh…what I find very interesting is that Baker’s best attributes have nothing to do with passing the ball. Baker is basically a RB playing QB. Look at his mechanics, his footwork, his accuracy and the touch on his passes…all average to poor and at best inconsistent.
Joe said the quiet part out loud, if Baker doesn’t run he can’t push the ball down the field or move the offense consistently. Thats not a bad thing per se but since Baker is injured every year it hinders the offense. He’s not a drop back passer which is what he’ll need to be to extend his career. Look at the QB that played in their late 30s and early 40s, how many of them played like Baker?
If your QB can’t run and thus cant execute the offense then do you really have a QB? If the HC cant tell the injured QB to have a seat then the HC is worthless especially when that decision leads to losses.
Those are some wonderful stats you posted, too bad they dont help the team win in the playoffs. But then again, playoffs wins isnt a priority for this organization.
February 4th, 2026 at 7:32 am
What I find very interesting is that Baker’s best attributes have nothing to do with passing the ball. Baker is basically a RB playing QB. Look at his mechanics, his footwork, his accuracy and the touch on his passes…all average to poor and at best inconsistent.
Joe said the quiet part out loud, if Baker doesn’t run he can’t push the ball down the field or move the offense consistently. Thats not a bad thing per se but since Baker is injured every year it hinders the offense. He’s not a drop back passer which is what he’ll need to be to extend his career. Look at the QB that played in their late 30s and early 40s, how many of them played like Baker?
If your QB can’t run and thus cant execute the offense then do you really have a QB? If the HC cant tell the injured QB to have a seat then the HC is worthless especially when that decision leads to losses.
February 4th, 2026 at 7:34 am
Joe, he could throw the ball. Unfortunately he threw to many times the other team at critical times. I don’t think he was as much hurt as pressing. He knew he had to keep scoring, and making plays, because his defense wouldn’t. Take the lead, lose the lead, it’s tough. I like the Robinson hire, and the staff he’s put together. Hoping he does enough to be our next HC. Have no faith in Licht, and Bowles fixing the defense. Maybe we do what the Bills did this year, next year. What we should’ve done last year with Coen. Fire Bowles, promote the young OC to HC.
February 4th, 2026 at 7:42 am
If we are being honest, let’s say Baker doesn’t get hurt and the Bucs make the playoffs. What quality playoff team would the Bucs have beaten? All making the playoffs would have accomplished is prolonging this miserable season, put the Bucs even further away from a decent draft pick and exposed Todd’s lack of football acumen even more.
February 4th, 2026 at 7:42 am
The issue there is you’re not solving the real problem as the joker said. You’re only addressing the symptoms.
If baker can’t play consistently well on schedule from the pocket with timing throws he won’t grow into the next part of his career and won’t be a good candidate to be the long term qb with a long term deal.
See Russell Wilson. Yeah it’s fun to watch but once the legs go and you can’t play backyard football anymore the effectiveness ends. And as mentioned he’s not aging in reverse.
February 4th, 2026 at 7:45 am
I couldn’t agree more that the Bucs need to seriously upgrade QB2. It doesn’t have to be very expensive. The equivalent of a Shaun King would do nicely. Remember the 2002 Super Bowl season? King won the game needed to get the Bucs a bye in the playoffs.
Now fast forward to 2023. The Bucs chose to run a bunk offense with Baker unable to even throw a pass 10 yards downfield, rather than to turn it over to Trask in the final game against the Panthers. This very real problem has continued through the subsequent two seasons. And how has Licht addressed it?
Ring of Honor Jason Licht, indeed!
February 4th, 2026 at 7:51 am
Obvious, good point, but I think it was both…..hurt AND he was pressing.
February 4th, 2026 at 8:03 am
With Withner and Robinson on board let’s try to draft a promising QB and let him be the back up. Baker might be playing his last year with us.
We are preparing for Todd’s departure next year.
February 4th, 2026 at 8:06 am
I see a lot of mock predictions with Diego Pavia dropping to round 4. Very similar style, look etc to Baker, except he really can run. Just throwing it out there. That said, Baker needs to get rid of the ball faster AND then hit the receiver. Very streaky last year.
February 4th, 2026 at 8:07 am
Bee you have it all wrong. In the 2020 season he,was top rated on long passes..He just had two pro bowl seasons. Baker is,a great passer with a big arm whose weakness is he will do whatever it takes to get the first down. Brady had, long career because he learned to throw the ball away. As noe said you may not be able v to change him. I would try to get Pickens or one of the Joneses.
February 4th, 2026 at 8:18 am
We’re assuming he got hurt running the ball, he was sacked a few times as well
February 4th, 2026 at 8:26 am
Wait no mention that maybe Baker played hurt because his backup was a couch potato who sucked when he was playing full time
This coach went and grabbed a high school coach to come back up on an NFL TEAM
there’s a reason Bridgewater was at home
Again Bowles gets a pass on his POOR DECISION
February 4th, 2026 at 8:28 am
Should have kept Trask. Lol.
February 4th, 2026 at 8:34 am
I meant Hodad, not Obvious. Sorry for the confusion guys.
February 4th, 2026 at 8:38 am
🤣🤣🤣 I have been saying this many many times.
go get Justin Fields. Kid can has a good arm,He can run
He needs to be coached up. Seriously.
Imagine the value he would bring in practice to 1st team defense.
I can see him being a qb in the future with our young wr. coming up.
February 4th, 2026 at 8:41 am
I want to say from the eye ball test, not much of a sample size, that Trask was a better back up than Bridgewater but evidently the people that see him everyday didn’t think so. Unless they were stupid. Money should not be a question as far as a solid backup is concerned, they are an insurance policy against your team failing the whole season because of a few games they may be needed, they should be capable of leading a team to a win for crying out loud at the least. See Jimmy GQ subing for Brady that year. Mayfield would be a good rolling out of the pocket passer which I think would help him stay healthy, complete more passes and move the sticks/hit big plays. Robinson has said he wants to do more of that with Mayfield. And yes throwing the ball out of bounds when the play is not there and saving the body.
February 4th, 2026 at 9:15 am
Reprinting from yesterday for Bee’s benefit. I include him in the Munch Bunch.
Gipper Says:
February 3rd, 2026 at 6:16 pm
WBLoser,
You are in good company with Munch and an illiterate Oneilbuc. Proving that birds of a feather are illiterate together.
Meanwhile, we will just keep reminding you that Mayfield has thrown for 95TD’s in his 3 years in Tampa. Only QB who has thrown for more is Goff with a significanty more talented and better coached team.
February 4th, 2026 at 9:18 am
Marky Mark
How did that 6 year old stat help the Bucs during that 2-7 stretch run in 2025? Did that team in 2020 keep Baker because of that stat? How far in the playoffs did Bakers team go in 2020 compared to the Bucs in 2020?
February 4th, 2026 at 9:23 am
Pretty sure Mayfield injured his non-throwing previously injured shoulder on a sack then really messed it up trying to throw a Hail Mary on the last play of the half that Bowles put him in position to do because of inexcusable clock management. Threw his timing off and was subconsciously nursing it for the rest of the season.
Throw in offensive line injuries, Egebuka scared to get hit, a lot of dropped passes, and some poor throws by Mayfield plus some of the worst defense and kick off coverage I have ever witnessed. We were lucky to have our record.
3rd and 28
February 4th, 2026 at 9:58 am
“Meanwhile, we will just keep reminding you that Mayfield has thrown for 95TD’s in his 3 years in Tampa.”
Last 11 games, 349 passes, 54% completions.
Kinda balances out with us being 4-11 in games we ask him to throw the ball >35 times, Guppy