“Is The Window Over?”
March 19th, 2026
Kay Adams asks.
Look out NFC South. A p!ssed off Baker Mayfield is a dangerous quarterback.
Kay Adams, speaking on her weekday show “Up and Adams” yesterday seen on FanDuel TV, noted with the departure of Mike Evans, the narrative around the Bucs will be their Super Bowl window was slammed shut with the exodus of Jamel Dean, Evans and Logan Hall. And maybe Lavonte David, too, Adams noted.
However, Adams also said that’s too easy. For when people are ready to count Mayfield dead and buried, that’s when he’s most dangerous.
Adams noted it happened when Mayfield walked on at Texas Tech and when he transferred to Oklahoma. Happened in Cleveland. Happened in Los Angeles when folks were shoveling dirt in his face.
And it happened with the Bucs when he replaced Tom Brady in 2023 and folks picked the Bucs to win two games.
“It does feel like that’s going to be a narrative,” Adams said of folks thinking the Bucs will crumble this fall. “Like things are maybe starting to come apart in Tampa. … Like, who’s going to win the NFC South?
“All that that means for me is that Baker is about to have a monster year. If you track Baker, this is perfect for him. He does his best work when he’s put into a corner and people start doubting him. It was almost too perfect for him.”
Adams said Mayfield’s “Disneyland ride” of a career peaks when folks have him counted out.
“[When] his back’s against the wall, that’s how I like my Baker,” Adams said.
She certainly does have an interesting point. Also throw in the fact the Bucs’ offensive line shouldn’t get beat up like it was last year — and that Mayfield has the offensive coordinator he wanted — maybe it’s a smart play to put cash down on Mayfield with some personal overs?
In the end, Adams confessed she doesn’t think the Bucs’ window of success is shut. On the contrary, the NFC South should brace for a savage Mayfield this fall.
Baker Mayfield has everyone RIGHT where he wants them…
Here's why he's about to have a monster year đ@heykayadams | @bakermayfield | @Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/OpEbQJzR8S
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 18, 2026
March 19th, 2026 at 3:55 am
ZzzzzzzzzzzâŚâŚ
March 19th, 2026 at 4:14 am
2026 MVP Baker Mayfield.
Don’t count the Bucs out just yet. Many fans want Bowles gone so they are predicting worst case scenario, but I think there is a strong chance the Bucs have a great year.
No splash moves, no…just solid moves.
Losing Evans won’t hurt us. I love the guy and wish he only played in Tampa, but we have a very strong WR room.
OL will be stronger. RBs will be stronger.
Secondary will be better because of development…and I suspect we’ll add another veteran there.
Draft should be pretty good, but those players will take time to develop as well…though usually at least two do good in their rookie year.
March 19th, 2026 at 4:40 am
Chip on the shoulder nonsense.
March 19th, 2026 at 4:43 am
IF the Bucs have a good year, it’ll be because the offense lit up the scoreboard. Does anybody have any faith a Todd Bowles defense, his clock mismanagement, or game decisions?
March 19th, 2026 at 5:05 am
Surreal
March 19th, 2026 at 5:08 am
Yawn! More fluff, more nonsense. Baker was counted out during the 2-7 slide after the bye, how did that work out? Baker isnt dangerous, no defense is scared of him. Why would they be when he gives them the ball late in games.
This is the issues with Baker, his fans pump him up but when the season is on the line he chokes. The chip on the shoulder, me against the world narrative is getting old, especially when you lose. Bake will do what he always done, have a few good games with a lot of bad games. The OL injury excuse, Baker injury excuse, the OC excuse will all fall away this season.
March 19th, 2026 at 5:42 am
Dracaris!
March 19th, 2026 at 6:12 am
Crazy.
March 19th, 2026 at 6:32 am
âWhen his backâs against the wall, thatâs how I like my Bakerâ. Oh, Kay! Naughty girl! Man alive Kay Adams has a great perspective on things and I ainât whistling Dixie.
March 19th, 2026 at 6:43 am
A healthy baker Mayfield is good. A pissed off and hurt Baker Mayfield would be a problem. It leads to poor decisions. We donât want to change who he is and let him use his legs, but we do need to teach him how to slide.
March 19th, 2026 at 6:53 am
Offense will be fine. Defense? Hope we have a great draft.
March 19th, 2026 at 6:56 am
OK, time to move on. We have a better offensive coordinator and solid upgrades on defense. We still have the draft and players who will be dropped by their teams coming up to round out our team. Last year we were derailed by injuries to top things off. I know itâs your narrative JOE to say weâre worse than we were by losing two players but we all know we just as easily got betterâŚ
March 19th, 2026 at 7:05 am
I am with Bojim on this. A healthy OL, a new OC and a healthy Baker = a decent offense. However, despite the additions on D which are an improvement, we still have Bowles calling plays and if the Bucs do draft an edge at 15, I hope that he isn’t asked to cover RBs and TEs in the flat instead of putting the QB on the turf and that the Buc CBs do not become a weakness with Zyon becoming the next Vernon Hargreaves. Todd is stubborn and if his D falls off a cliff, the O might bail him out like in 2024 but if it is closer to the 2023 and 2025 versions the Bucs will probably just win enough games to let other teams like the ATL Falcons get the top shelf QBs in the 2027 for a new HC.
March 19th, 2026 at 7:06 am
^^^^ in the 2027 draft for a new head coach and possibly GM.
March 19th, 2026 at 7:15 am
Baker isnât a stud QB, heâs had 1 great season surrounded by average and below average seasons, heâs the basically Geno Smith, not saying heâs a bad QB to have but heâs more likely to be a middle of the road player that heâs been 6 out 7 seasons, itâs your website Joe hype whoever you want (Americas QB lol)
March 19th, 2026 at 7:31 am
“Adams said Mayfieldâs âDisneyland rideâ of a career peaks when folks have him counted out.”
A cute way to say he’s been on a roller coaster his whole career and is inconsistent, but apparently when his backs’ against the wall he’s at his “best” yada, yada, yada.
This is why I can’t take Kay Adams seriously in terms of football talk, she’s more freelance PR rep than she is a journalist/analyst.
March 19th, 2026 at 7:43 am
Misogyny. WBL. You need to look it up. Leave Kay Adams alone. She is entitled to her opinion just as you are entitled to yours. And I prefer her perspectives to yours. By a long shot.
March 19th, 2026 at 7:57 am
Top 10 offense…Bottom 10 defense
Sounds about right.
March 19th, 2026 at 8:02 am
Kenton, nothing I said was putting Kay down because of her gender. In fact, Mina Kimes is much better than Kay and you, when it comes to actually talking football.
March 19th, 2026 at 8:23 am
Whatâs with the theatrics. Baker isnât Brady and he isnât Winston either but he is capable of having top 10-15 numbers.
March 19th, 2026 at 8:29 am
Nobody is scared of baker whether heâs pissed of or not, we need a franchise qb
March 19th, 2026 at 8:53 am
The Super Bowl window closed in 2022 when Bowles was hired as HC
March 19th, 2026 at 8:55 am
Logan Hall & Dean = centerpieces to SuperBowl contention? Pfft. Mike Evans departure and Father Time knocking on (almost) Immortal Lavonte DavidâŚyes, that hurts.
March 19th, 2026 at 9:01 am
Hysterical. Obsession with Kay non-sense continues. The window closed when Bowles became head coach. Offense will be fine. Defense stinks. Seen this movie time and time again.
#TeamDelusional
March 19th, 2026 at 9:01 am
Window closed? The Bucs are right in the middle of a complete rebuild that started the day Brady & the majority of the starters left. Thought we’d be further along, but several defensive players crapped the bed. Not to mention special teams that never showed up for games. This is the main reason they’re not touching most of the older players. The Bucs are way more than one player away from a Super Bowl run.
March 19th, 2026 at 9:11 am
Was there a window? Did our defense even remotely resemble Seattle? McCollum and Morrison starting CBs and a rookie for the Mike LB. Are you kidding? Window to .500 maybe. What are the superbowl odds – 5000 to 1? Ain’t no fat guy going through that window.
March 19th, 2026 at 9:15 am
Kay wants to be friends with every player and Iâve never heard her be critical of any player really. She is just fluff. Mina Kimes on the other hand has been unreasonably critical many many times toward many in the football world and seems to largely form her opinions, I believe, from the opinions of others in her field. Sheâs the equivalent of a parrot like so many of our self proclaimed knowledgeable posters here. Unmeasured, biased takes based simply on appearances and personal likes and dislikes as opposed to well thought out, fair and unbiased takes based simply on the facts.
March 19th, 2026 at 9:21 am
WHY does anyone especially Joe care about ANYTHING this nothing more then a piece of eye candy has to say about ANYTHING? She has never even played the game. Waste of content Joe come ON!
March 19th, 2026 at 9:46 am
This franchise is sad to the point we really believe and think that BAKER MAYFIELD is a real Qb, some (even Joe) thinks heâs a franchise QB. Man hasnât won anything significant at ALL and Buc fans still praise him. Have watched him Arron Rodgerâs every big important game with a stupid below level QB move (interception or fumble) which heâs either lead the league or is in the top 5 of turnover categories.
March 19th, 2026 at 9:54 am
Bakers back was against the wall in the entire month of DEC and he crapped the bed lol
GO BUCS!!!!
March 19th, 2026 at 10:00 am
Well, look at all the naysayers get their panties rolled up…
A couple things:
đ While Bowles has been in charge of the defense, there were times he used edge rushers properly. We have not seen it lately because of the lack of secondary talent. He as much as said so in a presser a couple years ago. Get him a beast and he’ll use him right.
đ I agree with Bucnjim so far as being right in the middle of a full rebuild. Jason Licht had to deal with cap issues after Brady left, along with a complete rebuild of the Oline. And he had to replace ethier Godwin or Evans at some point (ended up being Evans).
Last year, he wisely drafted CBs…on defense they can take the longest to develop (Barber took years to achieve greatness).
đ This year, rebuilding the defense continues…but Bowle’s job MIGHT be on the line, so I believe the are going to go big on defensive talent in the draft. This means pass rush mire than likely WILL be addressed with multiple picks. The possible OG depth, another CB, a late DT…
đ Anyone who thinks injuries were not the biggest issue last year is rewriting history. Most of the other problems were the result of those injuries. Bad coaching? Yes, Bowles cracked. ST were a disaster. Defense lacked talent. But we put tigether winning seasons with those issues. It wasnât until injuries struck the offense that things went south.
I was surprised the Glazers didn’t fire Bowles. But the fact that they chose not to says a lot. It hints that there is and has been a longterm plan. It honts that the injuries were not a part of that plan…and they recognise that was a freak occurrence for so many in a season.
So, as a fan, I’m watching…trying to see past the frustration and the hate. I’ve seen some strange things this year. Things I’ve never seen before. I don’t know if it will work, but I’m not writing this team off. Not yet.
March 19th, 2026 at 10:02 am
I also wouldn’t completely rule out. Drafting a QB in the first 2 rounds. I don’t expect it, but the Bucs always do something surprising, especially in round 1.
March 19th, 2026 at 10:04 am
The over hype on him is weird
March 19th, 2026 at 10:06 am
anyone who equates losing Logan Hall to your Super Bowl window closing should not be taken seriously
March 19th, 2026 at 10:11 am
Buccaneer Bonzai, Good post. I donât see why they would waste a pick in the first or second round in this yearâs draft though.
March 19th, 2026 at 10:12 am
On a qb
March 19th, 2026 at 11:22 am
Jason won’t choose the next QB. The next coach will. Jason had no viable choices other than Jaboo. It was a pick he had to make whether he liked it or not and all he got for it was interceptions, crab legs and deviant behavior.
March 19th, 2026 at 11:27 am
The âwindowâ was never open. It was fools gold.
2024 was the best this team will achieve under this leadership IMO.
We had an offense that was one of the tops in the league and were one and done in January. Then let the guy responsible for the only good part of that team out of the building because we were afraid to make the correct move in fear of hurting the âgreat cultureâ.
But there are still good pieces to this roster and if they can get the right leader in here we could turn it around quickly.
March 19th, 2026 at 11:31 am
IBS has never given the Bucs a glimmer of a chance at a Super Bowl as long as he has been the HC!..
Only achieved NFCS crown assisted by 3 other teams so bad… Those years are over… It will be the Panthers and Saints who battle for the division… While the Bucs have stayed stagnant under IBS as HC, those 2 teams have slowly been improving and surpassing the Bucs
March 19th, 2026 at 11:38 am
Content not analysis
This is garbage
March 19th, 2026 at 12:11 pm
Click bait article for the Baker haters like Bee. Some fans don’t seem to remember the O line was decimated with injuries the second half of the season when the losing streak started. But again, to some, that’s just an excuse
March 19th, 2026 at 12:23 pm
Thereâs every reason for our offense to be great this season. Still waiting to see how the defense will work out.
March 19th, 2026 at 12:34 pm
Every story on this site, all 63,000+, are “click bait.”
Joe sure as hell doesn’t type stories for nobody to read.
March 19th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
Joe. Wow 63000 is a bunch. Put them in a book series and I bet youâd sell a lot of them. If reading MNF
March 19th, 2026 at 1:46 pm
Donât know where âIf reading MNFâ came from. Came from somewhere. Just donât know where. Been out filling the new raised bed with compost and sand. Too much of that shovel work.
March 19th, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Iâve become a baker fan since he got here. Love the effort he gives but heâs bin super inconsistent. I compare him to Winston. Now heâs deff not bad like Winston but baker will have a phenomenal play the turn around and make a boneheaded one just like Winston. I beleive the MVP talk got to his head along with grizz not being competent and injuries. If baker plays all season like he did he he 1st half of the season weâd be in a whole diff situation right but thatâs the past. We need baker to be consistent. With this offensive fire power even with Evans gone and white we can still be dominant.
March 19th, 2026 at 1:54 pm
Yes, I too look to bimbos for my football advice……
March 19th, 2026 at 3:06 pm
LynchMob50,
Me too! So I’m with you. At least I get a nice view for my money. Besides, the commentary is about the same across the board. A great view is definitely a fantastic perk versus some ugly mug. And there’s A LOT of ugly mugs out there. It’s a “spoon full of Sugar vs castor oil”.
It’s a no brainer. I’ll have the Floosy for lunch please. And I’ll box up the rest to go. You know, for a snack later….
March 19th, 2026 at 5:46 pm
Who knows what can happen in this sorry division, but there will be no Super Bowl for the Bucs as long as Bowles is in charge of the defense. This isnât just sour grapes, Bowles has given us all the evidence we need to see he doesnât belong as a head coach or maybe even a defense coordinator.
March 19th, 2026 at 7:43 pm
We should start the season with a healthy Offensive line, compared to masking the Wirfs injury that led to putting our Center at left tackle, which caused injury to our Right guard, which was lost for the season, which gave way to our star RB getting beaten up and missed most of the season, to finish it off the strained OL then lost it’s Right Tackle.
It’s okay we let almost all the coaches go but we managed to save Bowles. Hopefully we fired the team doctors, strengthen and conditioning coaches. Clean it all out and make room for Mike Tomlin
March 19th, 2026 at 10:52 pm
Offense inconsistent and boring. Defense like Swiss cheese
March 19th, 2026 at 11:00 pm
The newspaper says the ladies prefer pirates over any other men in their romance novels.
So if course she would like the bucs and their pirate captain Mayfield
We should be more popular than most teams
Pirates hide their treasure which seems to be a problem with our coverages on 3rd and long
March 20th, 2026 at 12:20 am
Kay
March 20th, 2026 at 12:24 am
Kayâs hot, but the window is closed and the room stinks. Why sheâs got her hand over her nose.
March 20th, 2026 at 8:55 am
Whatever gets you out of bed Baker, because you already $h!t the sheets last year so its time to clean up your mess
March 21st, 2026 at 10:21 am
Protect Baker and heâs a top 5 quarterback in this offense loaded with weapons. Protecting Baker means not having half the OL out for every single game! Also means we should get a swing player close to starter level.
March 21st, 2026 at 10:22 am
Lean towards pass protection when picking one. As long as heâs not a turnstile in the run game, we can always run away from whomever it is.