Bucs Report – Special to Sports Talk Florida
At this time last year, quarterback Baker Mayfield was riding high with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, fresh from a Pro Bowl season that saw him guide the team to an NFC South division title and a playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mayfield achieved career bests that year in passing yards (4,044), touchdowns (28), and completion percentage (64.3%), yet skepticism lingered due to this success being confined to a single season, leaving some to wonder if it was an anomaly or a sustainable trend.
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In 2024, Baker Mayfield built upon his previous success, delivering an even more impressive campaign that surprisingly went unrecognized with a Pro Bowl snub. Mayfield’s stats were staggering, as he threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and completed an impressive 71.4% of his passes, making a strong case for the accolades that eluded him.
Mayfield has finally received the recognition he deserves, in NFL.com’s latest rankings place him as the sixth-best starting quarterback from the 2024 season. Notably, Mayfield edges out prominent quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, while trailing only a select group of elite signal-callers: Jayden Daniels (No. 5), Jared Goff (No. 4), Joe Burrow (No. 3), Josh Allen (No. 2), and Lamar Jackson (No. 1).
“Mayfield’s 2023 renaissance earned him a new contract, but also queued up the doubters who believed he had little chance of replicating such success under a different offensive coordinator in 2024.” Via NFL.com. “Boy, were they wrong. Mayfield outdid himself this season, resetting his previous career-highs in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. His performance proved Tampa was right to take a flier on him in 2023 and cemented his status as the franchise’s QB1.”
Mayfield is finally receiving the recognition he deserves for his consistent play, which has now spanned over two seasons. What’s even more impressive is that he’s achieved this success despite working with a different offensive coordinator in each season.
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