Baker Mayfield’s Transformation

October 14th, 2025

Changed quarterback.

Baker Mayfield and Jameis Winston are Heisman Trophy winners and both were No. 1 overall picks in the NFL draft. That’s about where the similarities end, except both are right-handed.

And yeah, both played for the Bucs.

Mayfield is proving this season something that Jameis never did nor could: he’s cut turnovers.

If Jameis didn’t go interception happy in his final two games as a Bucs quarterback in 2019, who knows, he may still be with the team. Jameis has never been able to turn around his career, having mostly been a backup since he left the Bucs.

Last year, Mayfield was tied for the league lead in interceptions with 16 (that would be a good season for Jameis). But he has fixed that issue.

Joe doesn’t know whether Mayfield gets the credit or quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis or Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. The Buc(k) stops with Mayfield eventually, so credit him with getting the job done.

Through six games, Mayfield is tied with Spencer Rattler of the slimy Saints for the fewest interceptions — only one — among quarterbacks who have started six games.

Talk about a turnaround.

30 Responses to “Baker Mayfield’s Transformation”

  1. Kenton Smith Says:

    Yes Kay Adams! Your forehead looks great! One of the best foreheads I’ve ever seen. Very few have a grasp of our favorite game like she does. She’s smart, sincere, and seems so down to earth. Breathtaking. Really.

  2. Bakerfan Says:

    Come on Joe, it is Baker. He made 2 OCs Head coaches. How are those QBs doing with their new head coaches He is in the making another OC a head coach but people still question his success. Why don’t people see and even question it anymore?

  3. BucU Says:

    Kay is a true Buc fan. She rocks!

  4. Irish Laughter Says:

    I was a Tampa fan from a far. 3000 miles to be exact. I rooted for Brady because he was a self made man. No talent, no physical attributes, TAKEN last in the draft. He made himself a great leader. Baker came into NFL as a Heisman winner, number one draft pick and all the talent in the world. Unfortunately, that did not translate. Now Baker has dug himself out of the mud and, in many respects, is copying Brady. He has made himself the best QB in the NFL. There is no way the Bucs don’t win the Super Bowl this year and hopefully, for many years to come. Keeping it real in Ireland.

  5. Knothead71 Says:

    I think when these QBs are drafted high in the first round they are set up to fail. When a team has the #1 pick in the draft they are not goiod teams. They are not teams that are “1 player away” from being Suoer Bowl contenders.
    Jameis is a good example. He had always been the best athlete in whatever league he was playing in. His athleticism kept him out of “hassles” and made him a winner.
    When he arrived in Tampa his talent wasn’t enough and I don’t think hecould process that fact.
    No run game, sketchy defense and poor play from the O-line was more than his talent could overcome.
    Same thing with Mayfield. He goes #1 to Cleveland and gets similar results as Jameis in Tampa.
    Now Mayfield is on a team with talent. Depth in receivers, a run game with a pulse and (considering all the injuries) good play from his Offensive line.
    Mayfield has found himself in a position where he can thrive and the Bucs (in my opinion) have found a franchise quarterback that they can build around for years. An ideal situation that took each party, Baker and the Bucs, a little time to grow into.
    Now lets get that defense squared away and win another Super Bowl! Go Bucs!

  6. Billy Bucco Says:

    Mayfield had plenty of help in Cleveland and one of the best run games in the league.

    The staff was horrible and so was the staff in Carolina. That’s why they are gone.
    Baker was meant to be a Buc.

    As far as how he is playing this year, I fully believe he came in in much better shape. He had to have been excited about a 1st round WR. Just ask Rodgers about that.

    What a great spot to be in as a Bucs fan to KNOW we have a Franchise QB who could be MVP.

    Hopefully Licht sees this window and does the right thing, whatever that is 🙂

  7. Gipper Says:

    Just not true about Baker Cleveland experience. He joined a team that was 1-31 in the two years before his arrival. In his rookie year 2018, he set the rookie record for TD passes playing in only 13 games. In 2020 he led the Browns to an 11-5 record and within a bad call of the AFC Championship. In 2021 he played with an injured shoulder the entire season. It is true that the Browns had a lousy record in 2021 but they still won more games(6) than they won last year 2024 or will this year 2025. Mayfield was instant excitement in Cleveland and was easily the best thing that happened to the Browns since they returned to the league in 1999. It was the arrogance of Cleveland leadership, not anything Mayfield did, that led to the Browns giving Baker away to Carolina. Sick of all the incorrect history on. Mayfield. Have said it before it is the result of a lazy press that just repeats a bunch of nonsense. I and others gave everyone the truth about Baker 2.5 years ago when he signed with Tampa. Still most resisted and doubted. Don’’think there are many doubters today. There is a lesson here for all to apply to information they get from the mainstream media. Most “media” don’t do real research they just parrot what is sold as conventional wisdom.

  8. Buddha Says:

    OK yes, Baker is elite. What about Bowles? Isn’t he a legitimate candidate for Coach of the Year! It was his defense that caused the interception at Seattle and the six sacks against a good 49ers offensive line.

  9. oufan4ever Says:

    Right on Gipper!! Totally agree with everything you said. What Baker has done since he arrived in Tampa perfectly mirrors what we saw him do every game he played at OU. No difference. Consummate leader, Great vision, great accuracy, great long ball. Not sure why he struggled some with the long ball the past 2 years with Evans because he threw them all the time to Deedee Westbrook and Hollywood Brown at OU. Seems like whatever the issue was with the long ball is fixed, for now at least, this year.

  10. Gipper Says:

    oufan4ever,

    Thank you. If Baker has struggled with the long ball in Tampa, it is because he wasn’t getting enough time to throw deep. The O line has been a work in progress since he arrived. What looked like a promising O line this year has been in a state of constant flux due to injuries. Even today Baker still gets too much pocket heat which leads to his heroic scrambles.

  11. 813BUCBOI Says:

    I’ll admit i thought baker took a step back last year with him being inconsistent and leading the league in INTs…

    im happy to see baker put in the work and become hungrier than ever to prove the doubters wrong…great work bake!!!

    6-1!!!!

    GO BUCS!!!!!

  12. orlbucfan Says:

    Bake, himself, said that all the hype with the Heisman win and #1 NFL Draft went to his head. He went on to say that what happened afterwards humbled him. He forced himself to mature. When he came to Tampa, all this Bucs fan knew about him was the Heisman win. I was impressed almost from day 1. I love his feistiness. He’s a natural leader, but not arrogant. He constantly compliments his offense, coaches, etc. I worried that his gutsy play would get him killed (long time Bucs fan fear). I’m relieved he’s sliding now. There were a lot of comments on here from Cleveland and OU fans raving about him. Now, we’re hearing they’re having heart failure up there over letting him go. Geez, I know that one from 46 years of following the Bucs. Go Bucs and Feisty Bake, 6-1!!

  13. Aqualung Says:

    Kenton Smith, you’ve done it again. Another wasted coffee. I share your admiration for Kay Adams, however I never was thinking about her forehead in that admiration. LOL.

  14. Marky mark Says:

    Gipper thanks for setting the Browns record straight. But arrogance turned into lies to cover their tracks for the worst trade (Watson) in NFL history. The media bought the lies as did many on this board such as Munchable. Still many fans and media cant admit they are wrong and are praying for a regression. I would not expect any apologies v rather I would apply the George Costanza principle from Seinfeld on them. whatever munch y says v expect the opposite will happen.

  15. heyjude Says:

    Awesome video that Kay did about Baker!

  16. Geno711 Says:

    Gipper — I like your post a lot.

    The one thing I would clearly note is that since 2020 — the Bucs offensive line has been the best in the NFL in pass protection. No lie. Below is Pro Football Reference’s stats on pressures allowed to QB’s year by year.

    2020 5th best
    2021 1st best
    2022 1st best
    2023 7th best
    2024 5th best
    2025 3rd best

    No team — not Philly — not Detroit — no team has been as good as the Bucs in pass protection.

    It does not take away from Baker’s ability especially this year to avoid some sacks.

    But it is frankly a lie to suggest the O line has not kept up their part of the bargain.

  17. Esteban85 Says:

    The greatest thing to me is that if you were to ask Baker, he wouldn’t change a thing about his career path so far. The young man understands that the struggle is the way. The valley is where you find yourself and when you desire the peaks the most. He knows the lows, now it’s time for him to experience the highs with the understanding and humble nature of a true respected leader.

  18. Let ‘em bake Says:

    If baker was due criticism during his redemption arc, the int’s and his deep accuracy would be raised ( rod would often raise the deep ball issue). I think both have been soundly corrected, so far. Possibly the fact that grizz is dialing up the deep ball option more than Liam has affected this. When mike gets back , look out😊

  19. Oscar Says:

    Baker has had to prove himself over and over and over again and still to this day will have to continue to prove himself going forward. If that’s not the definition of a self made man, I don’t know what is. One post said he regressed last year because of the 16 interceptions but that was more than compensated for by the ridiculous production. Furthermore he only lost 2 fumbles. I guess most believe recovered fumbles are no different than lost fumbles. Ridiculous! And he recovered most of those himself as well as fumbles by others. Any loss of control of the ball no matter whether it’s just a bobble or it hits the ground is deemed a fumble. Stupid statistic. Brady was drafted in the 7th round and just continued to grow over the years with a great organization and coach until he perfected his craft like no else ever has but there never were high expectations. Baker had to battle doubts of others because he was never the prototype and the had to battle the high expectations as the number one overall pick on a pos team.

  20. Oscar Says:

    Baker succeeded with the Browns and would have continued to succeed with them. If given more than a 6 game trial with the Panthers, he would have succeeded there as well and if the Panthers had the foresight they would probably by now be in control of the NFC South and he definitely would have succeeded with the Rams and Sean McVay. He would have succeeded anywhere if given the chance.

  21. Davyboy Says:

    Baker has found his groove. He has total command of this offense. It might be the first time in his NFL career that he has “total” command. He has never had 2 years with the same system. He has had 10 offensive coordinators in his 8 years–never been done before. Think how complicated these NFL offenses are. It is mentally impossible to totally grasp them in 1 year. Now that he has had just 2 years with the same one, this is what you get when you have Baker Mayfield as your quarterback and as I’ve said before that cream is still risin. The cool thing is, you never heard him make excuses.

  22. Oscar Says:

    The vast majority of people struggle with an overblown ego at some point in their lives and need a dose of humility. With some people though you can’t see it clearly. They hide it well and cloak their arrogance in false humility. It’s all a part of being human.

  23. Oscar Says:

    I think in Bakers case the overblown ego manifested by the cockiness is a byproduct of being doubted at every turn because he lacked the size and athleticism to be noticed. But he loves ball and wanted to play so he took on this loud cocky attitude to get noticed. You know the saying that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

  24. Davyboy Says:

    On average it takes quarterbacks 2-3 years to fully grasp an offense. Think about that.

  25. mj Says:

    he mostly only throws the ball to guys who are wide a** open and thus avoids the interceptions. occ he has to thread the needle he’s throwing a gnarly fast ball, he’s playing great and consistent

  26. 44cain Says:

    The browns did Baker and themselves a huge disservice when they brought in OB Junior. Maybe it seemed like a good move at the time, but in retrospect, Baker doesnt need veteran receivers to thrive. His success is in the NFL is contingent on teammates who are humble enough to buy into the collective spirit we see in Tampa Bay. we experienced it in Norman, as did the folks in Cleveland. Baker imparts a culture of continuity like no other athlete today, a championship caliber mentality susceptible only to ego.

  27. Geno711 Says:

    One of my favorite posts on JBF after the Bucs picked EE in the 1st round this year was—

    jarrett Says
    April 25th, 2025 at 11:45am

    IF THE SAINTS GET SHEDEUR AND HE TORCHES US FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS….

    I WILL NEVER FORGIVE JASON LIGHT.

    SANDERS IS BETTER THAN BAKER MAYFIELD!!!

    HES AN UPGRADE AT QB1

    WTF ARE WE DOING!!!

    ALL THE TICKET SALES, JERSEY SALES, SUPERBOWL APPEARANCES.

    WE THREW IT ALL DOWN THE DRAIN FOR A WIDE RECEIVER!!

  28. Davyboy Says:

    When everyone is healthy, there won’t be anyone that we can’t beat, no one. Our future looks very bright. At least 6 years of really bright. Let’s all sit back and enjoy the show!!

  29. Gotti-Dog-05-20-84 Says:

    I look at stats a little differently than some

    When people bring up INT totals for Mayfield my first thought is:

    “Out of how many attempts? And what percentage of his passes were touchdowns?”

    So, looking at that:

    INT% TD%
    2018 2.9 5.6
    2019 3.9 4.2 Freddy Kitchens
    2020 1.6 5.4
    2021 3.1 4.1 Injury
    2022 TTL 2.4 3.0
    CAR 2.9 2.9 Matt Rhule/Ben McAdoo
    LA 1.6 3.1
    2023 1.8 4.9
    2024 2.8 7.2
    2025 0.5 6.2
    Career 2.5 5.1
    Lge AVG 2.3 4.5

    It appears to me that he is above average at TD % and just about at average in INT %
    Total numbers tell one story….ratios tell another…..and circumstances tell yet another. I see too many “experts” espousing the virtues of stat totals without taking in the implications of those stats in their entirety.

  30. Gipper Says:

    Geno711,

    Interesting data but my eyes don’t deceive me. According to Pro Football Reference, Mayfield was sacked 40x in each of 2023 and 2024. In addition to the sacks, he escaped many times after pressure from the defense. My point is that Baker didn’t suddenly learn how to throw deep. He has always had the long ball but hasn’t had the time to throw. Let us hope that with a combination of better pass protection and receivers that can get deep Baker will continue to stretch the field.

 

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