Most teams struggle when an all-time great quarterback leaves. So what exactly are you supposed to expect when the GOAT leaves your team?
When Tom Brady retired after the 2022 season, it would have been completely understandable if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell apart. They had just lost the greatest quarterback of all time, the player who came to Tampa Bay and immediately delivered a Super Bowl, and suddenly they needed to figure out what came next. Instead, Baker Mayfield showed up.
After bouncing from Cleveland to Carolina to Los Angeles, Baker arrived in Tampa Bay and gave the Buccaneers something every NFL franchise desperately needs: structure at quarterback. Now Tampa Bay has decided to keep him around with a new three-year extension.
Do I think it was the right decision? Yes.
Baker Stabilized Tampa Bay
What Baker has done since arriving in Tampa Bay shouldn’t be overlooked. Over three seasons, he has started 51 games and thrown for 12,237 yards, 95 touchdowns and only 37 interceptions. The Buccaneers are 27–24 with him, and he took them to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons.
His first year was supposed to be a prove-it season. Instead, Baker threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns, led Tampa Bay to the NFC South title and then won a playoff game against Philadelphia. Then he got even better. In 2024, Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, completed more than 71 percent of his passes and helped Tampa Bay win another division title.
Think about the situation he inherited. Brady retired, Baker came in, and instead of Tampa Bay entering quarterback purgatory, the Buccaneers remained a competitive football team. That’s worth something.
Yes, Last Season Ended Badly
There is no getting around what happened in 2025. Tampa Bay started 6–2 and looked like it was heading toward another playoff appearance. Instead, the Buccaneers collapsed down the stretch, finished 8–9 and missed the playoffs. Baker’s play declined as the season went along as well.
But I don’t think you can put everything that happened on Baker Mayfield. The entire team seemed to fall apart. Injuries piled up, Baker himself was dealing with multiple injuries throughout the season, and something happened to that team during the second half that is difficult to completely explain. After throwing 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions over his first nine games, Baker finished with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions over the final eight.
Was Baker perfect? No. But I’m also not throwing away three years of stability because of one ugly second half of a season.
Does Baker Mayfield Win You a Super Bowl?
Do I believe Baker Mayfield is the type of quarterback who can carry an average roster to a Super Bowl? No.
If Tampa Bay wants to win another championship with Baker, I think the roster around him will need to be extremely talented. He’s not the type of quarterback where I believe you can have major weaknesses elsewhere and simply expect him to overcome them.
But here’s the question NFL teams sometimes need to ask themselves: What’s the alternative?
Moving on from Baker doesn’t guarantee Tampa Bay finds an elite quarterback. It could just as easily mean spending the next five years cycling through draft picks, bridge quarterbacks and failed experiments while waiting for the next franchise star to appear. Sometimes teams become so obsessed with finding a great quarterback that they forget there is value in simply having a good one.
Sometimes Being Good Is Better Than Risking Being Bad
Every franchise wants to win the Super Bowl. That’s the goal. But an NFL organization is also a business. Tickets need to be sold. Butts need to be in seats. Fans need a reason to watch on Sunday. Players need to believe the organization is trying to win.
You can’t simply tell a fan base, “Don’t worry, maybe we’ll be great five years from now.”
Baker gives Tampa Bay a chance to compete right now. Maybe that means nine wins. Maybe it means 11. Maybe it means another division championship and a playoff victory. And if the Buccaneers build the right roster around him, maybe they can make a deeper run. There is value in that.
The alternative could be letting Baker walk, drafting the wrong quarterback and spending years trying to get back to exactly where you already were. I’ll take the proven good quarterback over the mystery box.
Baker Earned This
There’s also a human element to this story that I appreciate. Cleveland drafted Baker Mayfield No. 1 overall in 2018. He helped the Browns reach the playoffs in 2020 and win their first playoff game in decades. Not long afterward, Cleveland decided to move on, and Baker suddenly found himself bouncing around the league.
Carolina didn’t work. He had a brief stop with the Rams. Then Tampa Bay gave him an opportunity, and Baker took advantage of it.
He went from a quarterback whose future as an NFL starter was genuinely uncertain to a two-time Pro Bowler in Tampa Bay who has firmly established himself as the Buccaneers’ franchise quarterback. That’s a pretty incredible career turnaround.
Good Decision or Bad Decision?
Good decision.
Tampa Bay knows exactly what Baker Mayfield is. He’s talented, tough and productive. He has thrown nearly three times as many touchdowns as interceptions since joining the Buccaneers. He’s already taken them to the playoffs twice, won two division titles and won a playoff game.
Most importantly, after Tom Brady walked away, Baker prevented Tampa Bay from falling into the quarterback wilderness. I don’t think Baker Mayfield guarantees you a Super Bowl, but moving on from Baker doesn’t guarantee you find somebody better.
Sometimes maintaining a good football team while continuing to build the roster is smarter than intentionally taking a step backward and hoping you’ll eventually take two steps forward. Tampa Bay chose stability, and I think they made the right call.
And congratulations to Baker Mayfield. After the way his time in Cleveland ended and everything that happened afterward, he earned his way back into being somebody’s franchise quarterback.
Well earned, Baker.
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