Getty Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
There have been a lot of moments where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have seemed like a team on the brink in 2024 — alternately on the brink of their season falling apart and being one of the NFC’s elite teams.
Throughout all of that, one player has held it all together in Tampa Bay, and that’s been Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is playing the best football of his career and has guided the Buccaneers back to first place in the NFC South with a 6-6 record following back-to-back wins over the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.
That’s why, when Mayfield went into the injury tent during the overtime win over the Panthers, Tampa Bay fans around the world saw their season flash before their eyes as backup quarterback Kyle Trask trotted onto the field … only to have Mayfield return a few plays later.
Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles gave an injury update on Mayfield on Monday, December 2, ahead of the Buccaneers’ Week 14 home game against the Las Vegas Raiders, saying Mayfield got “stepped on” against the Panthers and updated his status moving forward.
“I think he’ll be comfortable game-time,” Bowles told the media on December 2. “I’m not sure about his practice status during the week, though.”
Mayfield is currently sixth in the NFL in passing with 3,034 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions through 12 games. Mayfield is also having the best year of his career running the ball — he’s already rushed for career highs of 229 yards and 3 touchdowns and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Mayfield Experience Career Revival With Bucs
Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, is having a career revival in Tampa Bay that’s almost unprecedented in NFL history.
After being traded to thePanthers by the Cleveland Browns before the 2022 season in order to make room for Deshaun Watson, Mayfield spent 2022 with the Panthers and Los Angeles Rams before signing a 1-year, $3 million prove-it deal with the Buccaneers after Tom Brady’s second retirement.
Mayfield responded with a career year in 2023, throwing for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also made his first Pro Bowl and led the Buccaneers to a playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tampa Bay invested heavily in Mayfield following the season, signing the 29-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner to a 3-year, $100 million contract with $50 million in guaranteed money in March 2024 that keeps him with the team through 2026.
Buccaneers Control Destiny With Playoffs
The Buccaneers shook off a 4-game losing streak that included 3 losses by one score, including the last 2 ending on the last play of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime and the San Francisco 49ers.
After 3 consecutive losses by the Atlanta Falcons, the Buccaneers are somehow in first place in the NFC South and back in the hunt for the fourth consecutive division title and fifth consecutive playoff appearance.
The Buccaneers have experience with their backs against the wall in recent seasons. They were 4-7 in 2023 and rallied to finish 9-8 and make the playoffs. They were 6-8 in 2022 and rallied to finish 8-9 and make the playoffs.
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