Baker Mayfield Talks “Both Sides Of The Sword”
July 31st, 2026
Baker Mayfield serves up a thought-provoking take on last year’s record.
Remember when the Bucs started last season 3-0 and then 4-1 and 5-1 after beating Seattle and San Francisco? Baker Mayfield said there’s a lesson in those records.
After Mayfield’s intense and revealing news conference yesterday at One Buc Palace, he then walked to the side of the outdoor media tent for what turned out to be a polarizing interview with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Then he moved on to a sitdown with prickly Pete Prisco of CBS.
Prisco asked Mayfield about playing through injuries last season and adjusting his play to stay healthy.
Mayfield said it sounds nice to tell a quarterback to stay healthy. But for him, he said, that would have meant losing a few more Bucs games last season when the team finished 8-9.
“There’s definitely lessons in like when to lower your shoulder, when to do certain things,” Mayfield said. “But sometimes your team needs a spark and unfortunately last year, you know, it’s both sides of the sword. You say, ‘Don’t get yourself injured.’ But if I don’t do some of those plays, we probably started out 1-4. So you can say it one way, but it’s still got to be me but I got to take better care of my body. You know, I’m getting older. I’m trying to get wiser.”
Perhaps this is part of what has incensed Mayfield as it relates to the Bucs’ unwillingness to offer him a third year (2029) in a contract extension.
In Mayfield’s mind, he probably thinks the Bucs would have been a five-win team last year without his willingness to throw his body around for the sake of third- and fourth-down heroics. And, of course, a five-win finish likely would have cost a lot more Bucs coaches their jobs, if not all of them.
July 31st, 2026 at 2:08 pm
you would think he would be wiser…too much moxy, not enough maturity…BUCS are absolutely doing the right thing by not hitching their wagon to baker long term…Bravo Glazers
Tannenbaum just unleashed on baker!!!…i agree with what he says…baker is burning bridges fast
GO BUCS!!!!
July 31st, 2026 at 2:08 pm
Cry me a river. Just play smart, hurt Baker is bad. The OC was bad. Good OC could help hurt Baker play more solid with better game planning. The offense was predictable, and Baker was unpredictable and reckless with his body.
July 31st, 2026 at 2:24 pm
We certainly wouldn’t have won the SF game
July 31st, 2026 at 2:42 pm
You can’t call the guy “our franchise QB” and then offer him a 2 year deal.
2 years is a short term deal and I’d feel dissed too.
Wondering if the Glazers are trying to hedge their bets knowing this is a prove it (make or break) year for Todd… If they move on from Todd there’s a chance a new HC will want to start over with their QB choice and not have Baker on the books for 3-4 years.
Regardless of the reason/s it’s turned into a circus in a hurry. Hopefully the press will let it go and focus on football soon.
July 31st, 2026 at 2:47 pm
He came here humble, talking about how he didn’t want to do certain media stuff, wanted to concentrate on all ball. Now he’s part of a Netflix series mouthing off about the Bucs, and his contract. The drama queen Baker is back. Like his trash talk on the field it’s fun till it isn’t. I’m old school. Give me Montana who would cut your heart out without saying a word. Two more years, 100 million is being disrespected?
July 31st, 2026 at 2:50 pm
Maybe someone told the Glazers teams don’t win superbowls with smallish QBs.
We could have had Mahommes or Josh Allen with moves up in the drafts. We as a franchise just can’t seem to get the QB position right. You have to burn some draft picks to find that guy but Jason L will never do it. Look at NE and Drake Maye… pretty obvious the right QB matters.
July 31st, 2026 at 2:55 pm
“We certainly wouldn’t have won the SF game”
What?
We won that game 30 to 19, were +2 in the turnover margin, and allowed SF to score 1 TD
Offense could’ve scored their first TD off a Vildor pick that gave us the ball at the SF 12
and another 3 off a Dean pick in the 4th.
20-16 at the half, we allowed 3 points in the 2nd half of that game.
We did however, win the New Orleans game with he and the offense playing like trash.
July 31st, 2026 at 3:01 pm
Time for Baker to STFU and play football.
HE’S the one that said “once camp starts..blah blah”
Now he’s chirping.
They called your bluff and now it’s time shut your trap and play.
I was on the fence about Baker and willing to allow this season to play out. But honestly the more he talks, the more fake I think he’s been this whole time. The more he whines aboit his current 100 mil contact, the less respect I have for him.
Be a man of your word. Camp has started and you’re taking your negotiations to the media. Honor the contract you signed 2 years ago.
July 31st, 2026 at 3:02 pm
No accountability with the “leader”. I noticed he only talked about the stsrt of the season and no mention of why he fell apart during the last 9 games. My god he doesn’t have the brain power to slightly adjust his play to stay healthy. And thats because he can’t. If hes not running, hes not effective. He can’t pick apart defenses…consistently.
The writing is on the wall, your team goes nowhere fast with him as your QB.
July 31st, 2026 at 4:03 pm
baker will retire without a ring he makes too many mistakes
July 31st, 2026 at 4:18 pm
Let’s just start all over, and trade him, and fire the GM & HC! We will be better off, we have to sign Vita! Let’s Go Bucs!!!
July 31st, 2026 at 4:33 pm
Baker knows how to feed the media. No one outside the Gulf of America would know about the Bucs if Baker weren’t getting the attention of the A-team media. He’s a master of the hot-button cliches. He also runs cover for the whole training camp scene so that other persons and issues are not allowed to become distractions. Most of the reports are hot words and phrases –I remember “disrespect” before it was a verb– plucked and stitched together, sometimes at second- or third-hand, to produce the biggest rhetorical bang. “Hurt” feelings on both sides fuel the soap opera.
July 31st, 2026 at 4:34 pm
The extension vs. a new contract probably gives the Buc’s an out and guaranteed monies which have already been paid,or will soon to be paid, carried over from the current contract. That’s probably what he’s angry about. if he gets hurt this season he may have no future money coming in. This is totally speculation on my part!!
So now BM6 will slide more instead of push for that needed 1st down. Also total speculation on my part.
July 31st, 2026 at 5:20 pm
Mayfield is aware that some of his decisions on the field impaired his ability to play well. The offensive line was bad because of injuries with the exception of Barton playing out of position at Left Guard last year.) The Bucs need to find a Quarterback who can fill in for Mayfield when his injured. Mayfield’s play will probably limit his playing years. So why not invest in a young player like Green Bay did with Love and gromm him to replace Mayfield.
Mayfield is not big, so taking hits from guys nearly twice his size has the Glazers thinking a long term contract for a 31 quarterback may not make a lot of sense. Asking Mayfield to slide instead of taking a knee may not be in his DNA. There’s no easy answer. During contract negotiations there’s a lot of postering on both sides with Mayfield putting on a media show. The Glazers love Baker and Baker loves it in Tampa , so lock them both up in a room with Jason Licht and work it out.
July 31st, 2026 at 5:24 pm
Baker needs to look again at WHY he had to make those plays. What happened on previous plays to put them there.
July 31st, 2026 at 5:37 pm
He’s not wrong. In 2024, they would not have made the playoffs if he hadn’t thrown his body around against the Saints in a game they were sleep walking through until Baker woke them up by throwing his body around against the Saints .That game meant win and go to the playoffs or lose and don’t make the playoffs. I wonder how many remember that. Go back and see!
July 31st, 2026 at 5:44 pm
Todd Bowles even said it outright after that game. I’m sure the Glasers remember that game. It put a little more coin in their pockets!
July 31st, 2026 at 5:57 pm
Did Baker forget that they lost 7 games because he was playing injured.
Both sides of the sword or both sides of his mouth.
July 31st, 2026 at 6:22 pm
He was only injured a couple of those games. The middle of the offensive line was gone. That stalled the entire offense.
July 31st, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Joe … ‘In Mayfield’s mind, he probably thinks the Bucs would have been a five-win team last year without his willingness to throw his body around for the sake of third- and fourth-down heroics.’
And IF the Bucs had won only 5 games last season, does Baker REALLY think that he’d be in the $50 mil per year discussion group? He’d be lucky to get a starting job anywhere if a 5-win season is all he could lead his team to.
July 31st, 2026 at 7:52 pm
Man them two years was really a slap in the face to him a two year franchise quarterback lol go bucs.
July 31st, 2026 at 8:17 pm
” 3rd and 4th down heroics” “making plays” i guess ya’ll ain’t hearing yourselves! Beer is good..You know the rest! UGH!
July 31st, 2026 at 8:18 pm
Kudos Joe! I dont know how you do it …UGH !
July 31st, 2026 at 8:26 pm
The man is actually crippling himself for the love of the game! Ya’ll are right he doesn’t deserve sh!+… Im sure all of you give to your jobs the way he does…The only thing around here is 100%….. criticism ..Plays with 300lb men trying to take his head off! What for ? For you lunatics who drink to oblivion every Sunday That think you know everything…sad
July 31st, 2026 at 10:52 pm
Steve V telling it like it IS!!!
July 31st, 2026 at 10:57 pm
Baker has given it all for the team and more. Hopefully, he is going to slide and not run over the all pro linebackers anymore and remain healthy and take the MVP home and we go to the SB with him.
August 1st, 2026 at 7:59 am
Do you really believe that Baker is wholly altruistic in his pursuit of football? This is by far the stupidest emotional appeal of an argument on this site. Millions of people sacrifice themselves 365 days a year in service of others, and they’re not just playing a game they love for 4 month of the year. Have you ever heard about the police, firemen, the military….shoot flooring contractors end up with bad knees and backs, roofers have one of the highest risk jobs out there, medical personnel put themselves in front of a cesspool of deadly germs daily and you are trying to guilt readers who have worked 50 years only to have earned a fraction of what this guy is asking for to play 10 game. Stfu, you are the drunken fool spewing ignorance
August 1st, 2026 at 8:30 am
Doesn’t matter which is the sharp side of the sword, when one falls on it.
August 1st, 2026 at 8:56 am
@ Chibuc ,The jobs you have listed myself included, those people could have chose a different route in life,not my fault or the professional athlete they chose that path in life
August 1st, 2026 at 8:58 am
You dont have to be well off in life in your younger years to pick up a ball,and go outside
August 1st, 2026 at 12:07 pm
Chinbuc ,your all in the mustard trying to ketchup!! Angry Raaaa