While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might still win an NFC South Division title this season — and host a home playoff game — it’s getting harder to ignore the regression of quarterback Baker Mayfield much longer.
While Mayfield threw for over 300 yards for just the second time this season in a 20-17 Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins — he was 33-off-44 passing for 346 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions — it was his turnovers that absolutely doomed his team again, including a critical lost fumble on what could have been the game-winning possession in the fourth quarter.
More importantly, the Buccaneers have lost 7 of their last 8 games to drop to 7-9 headed into Week 18 home game against the Carolina Panthers — what could amount to a Winner Take All Game for the NFC South.
Still, it’s hard to argue Mayfield has been anything but bad down the stretch. And people are taking notice.
“Has anybody played their way out of town more than Baker Mayfield has?” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons asked on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Monday, December 29. “He’s looked like an MVP through the first 5 games and now he looks like he might not be there in 2026.”
Mayfield Benefited From Elite OCs
One thing Mayfield doesn’t have in 2025 that he had his first 2 seasons is an elite offensive coordinator.
First-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard has stumbled as much as Mayfield has in 2025 and is also suffering by comparison to who he replaced.
In his first year as Tampa Bay’s starter in 2023, Mayfield had current Panthers head coach Dave Canales as offensive coordinator.
In 2024, Mayfield had current Jacksonville Jaguars head coach and NFL Coach of the Year candidate Liam Coen as offensive coordinator.
Mayfield has 3,490 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions through 16 games in 2025. That’s an incredible step back from 2024, when he threw for career highs of 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns to go with an NFL-leading 16 interceptions.
“The greatest trick Baker Mayfield ever pulled was convincing the world he wasn’t Baker Mayfield anymore,” Prep Network’s Cork Gaines wrote on X.
“Baker Mayfield really fooled me into thinking he was an MVP candidate after the first 6 weeks of the season,” X user Achane SZN wrote.
“Man, Baker Mayfield‘s accuracy is simply unreliable these days,” A to Z Sports’ Evan Winter wrote on X. “He’s a major problem.”
Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL draft before they unceremoniously traded him to the Panthers before the 2022 season and replaced him with Deshaun Watson.
“The Browns were right,” PolyMarket Sports wrote on X. “Baker Mayfield is a BAD quarterback.”
Mayfield Played Way Out of Contract Extension
The biggest impact for Mayfield likely comes in the form of him being forced to play out the final year of his 3-year, $100 million contract in 2026 instead of landing what could have been a lucrative contract extension.
“I’m sure Baker Mayfield was thinking if he played well, he’s got one year left on his deal, they may tear that up and give him a long-term extension,” Buccaneers Reporter Rick Stroud said on the Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast on December 12. “I wouldn’t now. He’d be playing out the contract. Because I’m not sure he can win unless I surround hi witht he best players in the league. He makes plays, but then he makes bad plays. And he wears down.”
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