As Baker Mayfield breaks down, so do the Bucs’ chances

6 days ago 2

Another week, another set of injuries for Baker Mayfield. This time it’s his right throwing shoulder and his knee, ailments separate from the left A/C shoulder sprain that knocked him out for the second half against the Rams in Week 13.

At this point, it’s become routine: The Bucs quarterback has appeared on the injury report in 10 of 17 weeks this season, battling at least eight different injuries along the way.

As Mayfield’s body continues to break down, so too has his play, and it’s begun to directly cripple Tampa Bay’s chances of winning.

In each of the past three games, Mayfield has thrown a fourth-quarter interception that effectively sealed a loss, the kind of mistakes that don’t just reflect poor execution but perhaps physical and mental wear.

Mayfield prides himself on toughness, on throwing his body around with abandon. Durability matters and he hasn’t missed a start strictly due to injury since 2022.

But if this is the cost of his brand of football, it’s fair to ask: Should the Bucs realistically expect Mayfield to ever be healthy enough to deliver a Lombardi Trophy?

At the very least, the Bucs likely will want to let him play out the final year of his three-year, $100 million contract in 2026 before making any long-term commitments.

Mayfield was coming off his best NFL season in 2024, having passed for a career-high 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns but also with a league-high 16 interceptions. Then Liam Coen went from being the Bucs offensive coordinator to Jaguars head coach.

Enter Josh Grizzard, the Bucs’ former passing game coordinator and third-down specialist who was promoted to offensive coordinator. Grizzard had never called plays before this season, but the Bucs believed that continuity with the offensive scheme trumped his inexperience.

Grizzard acknowledges that Mayfield has to do a better job of not putting his body in harm’s way. He said the problem is protecting Mayfield from his natural instincts.

“I wouldn’t necessarily put (injuries) on a couple of the interceptions as of late,” Grizzard said. “He plays the game very hard, as we see. … He practices hard, he’s in the meeting rooms, he conducts himself like that in the meeting rooms as well. Ultimately, you don’t want to see him take those shots. Being able to get hit in a game like that is not something, of course, we want to see. But, at this point in the season, everybody is so banged up. ...

“Ultimately, (we are) trying to protect him from him, at times.”

What has made Mayfield great is his competitiveness. It’s why he was able to walk on at places like Texas Tech and Oklahoma, win a Heisman Trophy and become the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

Head coach Todd Bowles believes that Mayfield’s interceptions lately aren’t the result of just injuries, but poor decision-making.

“Maybe certain throws, (it’s) maybe in the fourth quarter on certain throws,” Bowles said. “I don’t think all of the time. I think there are maybe certain throws he’d like to have back. We’ve just got to take care of the football better. It seems like it comes down to it, and we turn it over, whether it’s scheme, whether it’s blocking or whether it’s quarterback play. We’ve got to take care of the football better. That’s kind of costing us a lot.”

Two weeks ago, Mayfield misread Evans during a scramble drill and threw a pass behind him that was intercepted by the Falcons in the fourth quarter, ending a comeback bid. Last Sunday, he underthrew receiver Jalen McMillan and then didn’t account for Dolphins safety Ashtyn Davis, who made the interception in the end zone on a pass intended for Emeka Egbuka.

“I kind of hit on it after the (Miami) game, but just little things here and there,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, the turnover late, I’m never going to question Mike (Evans)’ instincts on that scramble drill aspect of it, would love to have that back, but penalties and little things that shot ourselves in the foot on offense is what really killed us in that game on multiple drives. ...

“You have to have a short memory, and I do. I know what the priority is and that’s winning (on) Saturday. To be able to completely forget what’s going on? No, being the competitor I am, I am frustrated with where we’re at. I am able to compartmentalize and be able to focus on Saturday.”

Having played for bad teams in Cleveland and Carolina, Mayfield has a career record of 59-63. He is 2-3 in the playoffs.

That may give the Bucs pause before they consider investing $50 million a year in hopes of Mayfield delivering a Super Bowl.

The Bucs have to do a better job of protecting Mayfield. To his credit, he doesn’t miss games. But lately, as the injuries mount, he’s been missing too many receivers.