Yahoo!: Prove-It Year For Baker Mayfield
July 20th, 2026
Plenty of blame to go around.
In the minds of many, last year, despite winning just two of the final nine games to finish out of the playoffs for the first time this decade, Baker Mayfield already proved himself.
These same folks want Mayfield to get paid. Like three months ago.
(While the Joe typing this here post is much more cautious and would prefer Mayfield bounces back this fall before putting a contract in front of him, Joe also realizes it is highly unlikely Mayfield won’t be the Bucs quarterback in 2027.)
So even if Mayfield is given a new contract before the season begins, Frank Schwab of Yahoo! is of the belief this season will still be a prove-it season for Mayfield.
Baker Mayfield wasn’t the only reason the Buccaneers went 2-7 in the second half of the season. It was a team-wide effort. But Mayfield’s play was much worse in the second half.
The offense as a whole was a mess, which is a reason the Buccaneers fired coordinator Josh Grizzard and replaced him with Zac Robinson. That might help. But Mayfield, who has had his share of ups and downs through his career, now has to prove that his 2024 career year was closer to his true level. Various injuries, most notably a left shoulder injury, likely affected Mayfield’s play last season. As did the lack of continuity around him due to teammates’ injuries through the season. Whatever the reason, the Buccaneers can’t afford to have Mayfield play like he did in the second half of last season.
As Schwab pointed out, the entire offense was a mess last year. What could go wrong went wrong, almost. Only two guys didn’t miss a start, Graham Barton and Mayfield.
If the Bucs can stay healthy on offense, it will go a long, long way into being more consistent through the season.
One thing known about Mayfield is there is zero doubt he won’t give the Bucs 110 percent each and every game.
But as we seen last year, the weekly supreme effort by Mayfield wasn’t enough. Both he and his offensive teammates need to somehow stay healthy and stay out of the tub.
July 20th, 2026 at 7:10 am
Todd Bowels has had several in a row now and itās been torture
July 20th, 2026 at 7:37 am
Baker’s tough as nails, but there were 10 other NFL QBs who played in all 17 regular season games in 2025 too (Stafford, Goff, Prescott, Lawrence, Darnold, Williams, Nix, Herbert, Allen, Brissett & Mayfield).
Of those, 7 QBs led their team to the playoffs. And some got beaten up pretty good in the process like Mayfield did (Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, etc). The latter interestingly broke his non-throwing (left) hand in Game 12, had surgery after the game, and started the next game against the Eagles (Chargers won the game in overtime by running the ball a LOT; unfortunately Herbert was sacked 7 times).
July 20th, 2026 at 7:38 am
we are lucky to have ‘Born Again’ as the Face of this Franchise. He is a Top 15 QB that is worthy of $50/mil a year. Pay the Man! Go Bucs!!
July 20th, 2026 at 7:46 am
definitely a prove it year…Glazers would be wise to play it out
1 playoff win 3 years ago doesnt qualify for a raise…if baker plays his best ball in DEC & JAN and wins meaningful games(playoffs) he’ll get what he wants….otherwise, he’ll be holding a clipboard as a back-up again
GO BUCS!!!!
July 20th, 2026 at 8:10 am
813
Keep preaching. This is a prove it year for everyone in the organization thats not an owner. The fact that the owners didn’t spend a lot of money this off-season or make a lot of moves shows you the belief they have in this team.
July 20th, 2026 at 8:21 am
“E” for Effort = $55-$60 million/year?
Mayfield is good, talented, fun to watch, a Leader, …. Elite? No
July 20th, 2026 at 8:25 am
With all of this talk about Mayfieldās durability, one would think itās a yearly thing. In 2023, he took a couple of cheap shots in the second to last game of the season against the Saints and then played against the Panthers in the finale, during which he could barely throw the ball. Fortunately the Bucs were able to escape with a victory and a playoff birth. Outside of that, 2023 was a healthy season for Baker. Ditto 2024 when he statistically played his best season ever. 2021 should have been his out for the season year, but he foolishly played through that injury and in the process damaged his reputation. 2025 should have been a season where he missed a game here and there. If that had been handled appropriately by Bowles and Licht, the Bucs probably would have won the division again in spite of all the team injuries and Bakerās statistics would have looked better and the narrative would be much different now and Bakerās extension would already be in the books. Get this extension done but with the most important stipulation being that the Bucs decide when Baker sits due to injury, not Baker Mayfield.
July 20th, 2026 at 8:29 am
Yea – don’t resign Baker. He’ll blow up (in a good way) in Zac Robinson offense. He will then be unaffordable for the Bucs brass when he hits free agency and the bidding war starts. That is fine though..we have Jake Browning on the roster (all of that was sarcasm) Dude’s like Baker don’t fall out of the sky. Sign the man JL!
July 20th, 2026 at 8:54 am
Round and round we go.
The Baker lovers fear Baker will have a great season and then the Bucs wont be able to sign him.
The Baker haters think he is a average QB and the Buvs should blow up everything and start over.
The level headed Buc fans (dont swem to many left), see no reason not to let thos season play out. He’s still under the contract that he agreed to 2 years ago. If the plays well and the Bucs win 10 games, then he will be resigned after the season. The Glazers and JL will happily pay him top dollar. If he plays average, or gets hurt, the Bucs will likely lose 9 games or more and big changes will come.
Relax
July 20th, 2026 at 9:00 am
Most every year is a prove it years when you get a paycheck the size of these guys!!! What have you done for me lately????? This is what is always being asked!! The film doesn’t lie!!!
Another mediocre year from the likes of BM6, Winfield, Bucky, and Barton and they could be replaced! I hope that doesn’t occur… Time will tell.
July 20th, 2026 at 9:01 am
Licht FAFO with Evans.
If he dies the same with Baker, Baker will leave.
Then Licht will be the guy who is too stupid to re-sign his talent, and he will also be gone.
Thatās maybe what they need: a complete regime change.
Licht gets more credit than he deserves for the Brady SB.
July 20th, 2026 at 9:03 am
With age players get injured easier and heal slower.
July 20th, 2026 at 9:06 am
You can’t pay for ego. Let him prove it. He’s a great guy, just not a great QB until he wins a Superbowl. I know, Dan Marino blah, blah, blah.
July 20th, 2026 at 9:14 am
Why do the same people comment on this subject over and over. Broken record. and for the record, anything coming out of Yahoo is a bunch of nonsense. All these media guys are just writing an article for money. Bread for the masses.
Joe’s excluded, they do have a passion for all things Bucs. Remarkable that they can keep it going all thru the year.
July 20th, 2026 at 9:16 am
Baker’s last 11 games of the season ~ 3 and 8. He is also a huge IR threat. I say make him earn it this year and if he is once again mediocre, franchise him in 2027. One more thing…Evans did leave for a better chance of winning the Super Bowl. Knowing that he chances here are zero with Baker at the helm.
July 20th, 2026 at 9:27 am
For those who say Franchise him, it has been written over and over again the cap hell that doing this will create…. Not possible, or if Licht does do that the Bucs need to find another GM
July 20th, 2026 at 9:35 am
7-10.
Sorry folks.
Baker is NOT the ONE.
July 20th, 2026 at 9:37 am
@ Mod
“Licht gets more credit than he deserves for the Brady SB.”
yep…
July 20th, 2026 at 9:38 am
Bee, the Bucs owners are not the aggressive type but lean more to the regressive side of the coin! The entire organization owners to coaches need to go! If this means the team is sold and moved to another city then so be it!
July 20th, 2026 at 9:40 am
@ Mod
Jason Licht gets the credit for setting the table.
Tom Brady brought the ingredients then cooked and served the gourmet meal.
Which we ALL consumed with great pleasure…
July 20th, 2026 at 10:02 am
I like Baker and would love to see him retire here but if we have a bad year next year we will start a rebuild. Why spend all that money if for the next couple of years we are rebuilding.
July 20th, 2026 at 10:10 am
If they don’t sign Baker to a decent contract and he does well this year, he will have a whole year to worry about getting hurt and the Bucs playing cutesie. Then comes 2027 and no home town discount and maybe a repeat of the Mike Evans show. You like that outcome, 813?
July 20th, 2026 at 10:15 am
Sign the man now.
Frankly, I want to throw a bank at him after watching the final episode of Quarterback, there at the very end after the Falcons-Saints game and his wife asks him a question. I won’t spoil the question or the answer, but the answer is enough for me to want him at QB for a very long time.
A second reason I want him signed (like, yesterday) is that if Zac Robinson is that much of an upgrade over Grizzard, Baker’s play will correspondingly be better, which means more money to him and less to spread to the rest of the weapons on the team. The salary cap is a pie (albeit one that seems to grow every year), and the larger the hunk that gets sliced off for Baker, the smaller the hunk that the other guys in the team get. Time corrects the problem eventually (the pie gets larger), but it still creates a short-to-mid term problem of less money to spread around, and if Baker plays that much better this year he’s going to demand (rightly so) an even larger hunk of pie than he’s already due to get.
Lastly, assume for a moment that he does (dirty) the bed this coming year and Bowles is (finally) fired. He argument is made that maybe the new HC won’t want Baker, but will want “his guy” instead. That begs Jon Gruden’s question: “Who? Who are you going to get that’s better than Baker?” A rookie that you’ll need a year or two to develop?
Look… end the madness. Pay the man.
July 20th, 2026 at 10:33 am
Can’t stand the endless whiners posting here who know next to nothing in evaluating talent.
Will repeat for the morons who post here, Mayfield has an incredibly strong arm and has thrown for 95TD passes in the 3 years he has been with Tampa. That number is second only to Jared Goff who plays behind a better Oline headed by Pennae Sewell. Moreover, Mayfield is a respected leader of the team because he gives maximum effort on every play. Instead of giving Mayfield credit for gutting it out last season with obvious injuries and a 3rd string O line, the geniuses here run Mayfield down. When Brady left at the end of2022, there were many who thought thought the team would win 4 games in 2023. Mayfield arrived and the team has been competitive and fun to watch. Were it not for a pathetic 2025 defense, Bucs would have won a couple of more last season and finished 10-7. The whiners expect Mayfield to fix the defense. We are hopeful that Licht is doing that.
July 20th, 2026 at 10:37 am
Okiejim
I agree. I think their father was the most aggressive by the moves he made to get the first chip. Obviously the kids learned nothing lol. Gotta take risks to win big.
July 20th, 2026 at 10:37 am
Bucs TRIVIA:
How many QBs under 6’2″ have won a SB in the past 42 seasons?
Are you ready?
The answer – 2.
– Drew Brees (2010) – 6’0″
– Russ Wilson (2014) – 5″11″
I honestly don’t like our chances with our “moxy-filled” BM…
He lowers his shoulder into LBs in order to compensate for his “shortcomings” as a QB.
Pun intended.
July 20th, 2026 at 10:56 am
Does anybody on here know of an unbiased undelusional media source to listen to about the Bucs? Iām tired of the overhype weird delusions about baker and licht. I want some realistic insight on the team
July 20th, 2026 at 10:56 am
And BTW – Russ Wilson had the #1 ranked defense backing him up that season…
July 20th, 2026 at 11:08 am
I have often heard readers readers who followed Baker from Cleveland say he was playing through a shoulder injury, as an excuse for his bad play. Now weāre hearing the same story again about his subpar performances during the second half of last season.
Iām starting to wonder if the reason why he keeps running head first into linebackers is so that he can always have that injury crutch to lean on. āIf Baker was healthyā¦ thisā āIf Baker wasnāt injured, thatā¦ā
I think the Bucs organization has recognized that his play is wreckless and want to see him play smarter ball.
And not just in regard to making wise decisions about his health when he plays. But I think they would also like to see him be a smarter quarterback. The kind of quarterback that throws balls away the kind of quarterback that can Audible at the line of screaming and get out of a bad place. The kind of quarterback that could make changes at the line.
Out of all the things that Iāve heard about Baker, I have never heard that he was a student of the game. I have never heard that he pours over film to study defenses. Perhaps, the Bucs want to see more of that. I certainly do.
Iām looking forward to the season and I hope Baker earns a huge contract extension afterwards.
July 20th, 2026 at 11:21 am
40 year Bucs fan Says:
July 20th, 2026 at 10:56 am
Does anybody on here know of an unbiased undelusional media source to listen to about the Bucs? Iām tired of the overhype weird delusions about baker and licht. I want some realistic insight on the team
Iāve searched YouTube and there are virtually zero unbiased media sources covering the Bucs. Now, if you wait until the next Bowles inspired long sustained losing streak, some of them are forced into coherence.
The problem is they go back into their comatose state after the draft and itās pure hype and spin until September.
My advice is to throw in the DVD of the Brady SB title run. Or if you want to see what championship caliber defense looks like, throw in the 2002 SB title DVD. Beyond that I would go back and watch the full games from last year. Let your eyes and brain tell you what is real. Not your feelings.
July 20th, 2026 at 11:25 am
Heās not the guy who moves the needle enough to be stuck paying that kind of money to longterm. Heās a walking distraction, who is focused on all the WRONG things. He is aging, reckless, and just an INJURY awayā¦ Decline is inevitable, and we may have already witnessed some of it at the end of last season. $50+MIL QBās do NOT guarantee the Playoffs, or longterm sustained success. BUILD. THE. ROSTER. FIRST.
July 20th, 2026 at 11:26 am
BucsfaninOregon
if he plays great and wins a couple playoff games i doubt the bucs even offer a hometown discount lol…they’d make him the highest paid qb…in that case its deserving…
but paying him 50+ per year for 1 playoff win 3years ago is foolish…
the mike evans situation is completely different lol…not sure why you would even bring mike up…you’re clueless
GO BUCS!!!!
July 20th, 2026 at 11:31 am
In the greater than 50% chance that this is Bowles last year I’d like to wait.
July 20th, 2026 at 11:32 am
Gipper
those 95 TDs and strong arm has translated to how many playoff wins?…lol…
obviously, the front office doesnt care about him being a “leader” and tossing 95 TDs since he’s been here….if they DID, he’d ALREADY be extended….
the organization wants to see PLAYOFF WINS….not stats…and so do fans..most of us anyway lol
GO BUCS!!!!!
July 20th, 2026 at 11:38 am
@ 813
BINGO!!!
July 20th, 2026 at 11:46 am
One thing we know about Baker is that he’s willing to bet on himself. My guess is that his contract demands factor in whatever he’d expect to get if franchise tagged for 2027 and 2028. Because he’s confident (rightly or wrongly) that he’ll earn those tags.
July 20th, 2026 at 11:54 am
LMAO, still on the same old, same old I see.
Most money he’s made in a league being made this season.
Has pocketed about 75% of his cap figure already.
There’s no rush, our owners and front office have already placed a value on Mayfield and apparently it isn’t satisfactory.
So the stance is as it should be, go out and show us why you’re worth more.
If the reports are true that the Bucs feel what they offer is valid because no other team will offer that to Baker, that says ALOT about what the franchise thinks of him.
Remember, when it comes to the QB “market” the product that’s being sold to teams are not dupes, so paying a guy like say Daniel Jones on par with Dak Prescott(even with his crazy ass owner-gm) would make 0 sense and is an example of how broad the QB spectrum is in the NFL.
July 20th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
@ warren
“So the stance is as it should be, go out and show us why youāre worth more.”
YES!
Sorry – but our “moxy-filled” BM needs to “prove it”.
It’s very simple.
Just win one play-off game and you will get the bag you covet…
July 20th, 2026 at 12:07 pm
OR……
Just have the 7-10 season I am predicting and then go away and bilk another team out of their valuable salary cap dollars.
July 20th, 2026 at 12:17 pm
I’m expecting 6 wins and a rebuild
If it’s better than that I’ll be happy to be wrong but I’ve been kicked in the nuts too many times by this franchise to expect anything else other than disappointment
July 20th, 2026 at 12:17 pm
maybe Cleveland will want him back?
July 20th, 2026 at 12:19 pm
These posts crack me up. Baker haters throw all this stuff out about how bad he is and Baker fans do the exact opposite.
Yes, Baker has only won one playoff game in three years. Joe Burrow has failed to make the playoffs at all in those three years. Clearly the Bengals should cut Burrow immediately.
Baker has moxie and is loved in the locker room. Yes on both counts, but where are the wins?
It’s almost like this is a team game with a defense and special teams and coaches.
I have said it before and will say it again, the whole contract issue comes down to one thing. Do the Bucs see Baker as a long term solution at QB? If they do, they will get deal done before the season starts. If they don’t do that, you have your answer.
July 20th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
Prove it year is doable with a Healthy Oline and 3 very good backs,if Healthy. fans will open mouth and insert foot, fungus filled nails and all
July 20th, 2026 at 12:32 pm
@ Steve
I agree.
Let him “prove it”.
July 20th, 2026 at 12:34 pm
Joe Burrow has failed to make the playoffs at all in those three years.
LOL!!!!!!!
has baker gamed in an AFC Championship game or SB?
GTFOH!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
July 20th, 2026 at 12:43 pm
Joe Burrow is a china doll! Lol!
July 20th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
@ 813/Steve
I love Burrow when he is healthy but he is a “china doll”…
One thing I do respect BM for is toughing it out every season through all the hits and wounds.
BM deserves some respect for his resilience – HOWEVER – he needs to win at least one playoff game before he deserves his next “BAG”.
July 20th, 2026 at 1:22 pm
Chase,Higgins and Mayfield I’d take all day!
July 20th, 2026 at 1:36 pm
marine
Burrow has been unlucky with injuries…he’s had torn ACL, torn wrist ligaments and turf toe…i doubt any QB would fight thru those injuries…
Baker is tough and i definitely respect him for always willing to gut it out….no doubt baker leaves it all on the field every sunday…he isnt “soft” by any means…he’s a true competitor and that does rub off on the rest of the team…
BUT YES, he has to win some playoff games to justify being paid 50+ mil annually
GO BUCS!!!!!
July 20th, 2026 at 3:03 pm
813bucboi Says:
“Joe Burrow has failed to make the playoffs at all in those three years. LOL!!!!!!!”
Clearly you missed the entire point of my post. But, thank you for playing our game!
Let me throw one more thing into the mix. How good is the team each of the QBs being paid more than Baker compared to the Bucs. One, this is not a perfect comparison, but interesting nonetheless. Per Over thecap.com, Ave/year salary for 2026 of every QB making more than Baker. These are ranked by ESPN 2026 NFL Roster Rankings. 13 of the QBs has a better team going into 2026 than Baker. The Bucs are in the bottom half! Only three have a worse team, and the last two may not start opening day for their team (or new team in Tuaās case) in 2026.
Matthew Stafford (Rams): $55.0M – #1 Roster
Jalen Hurts (Eagles): $51.0M – #2 Roster
Sam Darnold (Seahawks): $33.5M – #3 Roster
Josh Allen (Bills): $55.0M – #4 Roster
Lamar Jackson (Ravens): $52.0M – #5 Roster
Jared Goff (Lions): $53.0M – #6 Roster
Jordan Love (Packers): $55.0M – #10 Roster
Brock Purdy (49ers): $53.0M – #11 Roster
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs): $64.0M – #12 Roster
Justin Herbert (Chargers): $52.5M – #13 Roster
Dak Prescott (Cowboys): $60.0M – #14 Roster
Joe Burrow (Bengals): $55.0M – #15 Roster
Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars): $55.0M – #16 Roster
Baker Mayfield (Bucs): $33.3M – #18 Roster
Daniel Jones (Colts): $44.0M – #20 Roster
Deshaun Watson (Browns): $46.0M – #31 Roster *You canāt fix stupid
Tua Tagovailoa (Falcons) $54 million – #32 Roster *Using Miami ranking
To say Baker can only win with a great team around him, it appears that most of the higher paid QBs do in fact have better teams to work with than Baker. Where is the criticism of JL for having less money committed to the QB position yet 13 teams managed to put together a better roster? Just sayin! Back to my point, there is a lot more in wins and losses than just the QB.
July 20th, 2026 at 3:10 pm
I’d like to actually post some FACTS before offering any opinion.
Offensive Line – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used nine different starting combinations and placed multiple key contributors on injured reserve, including season-ending injuries for starting right guard Cody Mauch and left guard Ben Bredeson. Starting tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke also missed significant time due to injuries and offseason surgeries.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving missed 7 games during the 2025 NFL regular season. He was sidelined for over a month due to lingering foot and shoulder injuries he suffered in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mike Evans played 8 games last season (during the 2025 NFL season) while dealing with hamstring and clavicle injuries.
Now for opinion…I’m like the late Keith Jackson, I pay attention to the “big uglies” up front. I think they drive the offensive train. Cliche alert…”It all starts up front”.
Then there is running back…from a superstar rookie season Bucky was also bitten severely by the injury bug. I’m setting a record for most cliches in one post. But cliches exist for a reason. You can’t lose one of the largest impact players from the season before and not be shocked by offensive difficulties.
ME perhaps the greatest Bucs W.R. simply was NOT last season. Again injuries and I hope ME gets healthy this year and can go out on a better note.
The offense was doomed and the Bucs had anything but a shutdown D. There were some MAJOR disappointments…LVD finally got old, I don’t know what happened to McCollum, I had high hopes, he dashed them hopefully he rebounds this season and my major disappointment AWJR. If the latter pair can simply regain their prior level of achievement the D will IMPROVE! I haven’t even mentioned the mediocre at best season Jamel Dean had…see ya Jamel!
For those who hate Bowles I guess you can pile on now and ask why didn’t he “movitivate” or “fix” McCollum and AW Jr. I always find that an interesting question. I tend to believe in PROFESSIONAL sports, not college, the players play and the coaches coach. If a player get caught on Joe’s “loaf” plays is that Bowles fault or the players. I’m honestly open to letting you guys assign the blame there.
July 20th, 2026 at 3:30 pm
critmark
wtf are you talking about lol….
my point is, has baker played in an AFC/NFC Championship or SB?
2 playoff career wins his last being 3years ago does not justify paying him like Burrow…someone who has 5 playoff wins including an AFC champions and SB appearance
sorry bud, try again lol
GO BUCS!!!!!
July 20th, 2026 at 3:49 pm
Baker: 54M x 4. Pay the man.
July 20th, 2026 at 4:09 pm
813bucboi, let me see if I can spell it out for you. I was NOT saying that Baker is better than Burrow or that he should be paid more. I WAS pointing out the absurdity of picking a single point of any career and using that as the sole argument for or against a player.
Specifically, someone said that Baker did not deserve a raise because he had only won 1 playoff game in three years. IF, and this is a big IF, that is valid justification for not paying Baker, then by that logic, Burrow should not be paid what he is because using that sole metric (which the author deemed valid for Baker), only having won one playoff game in three years, Baker has played better than Burrow with zero.
Again, it is the tendency of fans (remember short for fanatic) to cherry pick a good/bad single stat to make a point for/against a player without recognition when applying that more broadly to other players, that singular point falls apart completely.
You chose to look at a time frame greater than just three years. I have no issue with that. But using the strict three-year criteria for Baker which the post did, contrasted against Burrow on the sole criteria of playoff wins, my point holds.
Just so we are clear, I donāt disagree with you at all. I was just trying to illustrate a point.
July 20th, 2026 at 4:33 pm
Mmm Baker has more TD’s, more yards thrown, and more yards per carry than Josh Allen. So…yeah he has already proven.
July 20th, 2026 at 4:38 pm
Gipper…EXACTLY!!!
July 21st, 2026 at 12:46 am
Heās already proved he aināt no winner
July 21st, 2026 at 6:57 am
Baker is as tough as they come. However, he tries too hard to carry the whole load for the team and this gets him into trouble and gets him injured. He has a history of this. He also tries to make plays happen when there is nothing to be done and this leads to bonehead decisions that hurt the whole team. This pretty much encapsulates what happened to the Bucs in the 2nd half of the 2025 season. I can’t wait for the 2026 season to begin so that we can find out if Baker had an off-year in 2025 or if there are deeper, more problematic issues with him. Go Bucs. Go Canes. Cheers.