Baker Mayfield revived his career with a one-year deal with the Bucks for the 2023 season, and the team rewarded him with a three-year, $100 million contract in the offseason. After bouncing around from team to team in 2022 and 2023, Mayfield finally found his true home in the NFL.
And all the 29-year-old quarterback, entrusted with the keys to Tampa Bay, accomplished in 2024 was a season that ranks among the best quarterbacks in franchise history.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Saints — a game the Bucs need to win to clinch their fourth straight NFC South title — Mayfield is already posting his best performance of the season as a Buccaneer quarterback.
Through 16 games, he has completed 71.7% of his passes with 4,279 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. He had a passer rating of 107.6 and also scored three rushing touchdowns for a total of 42 points.
His 71.7% completion rate is currently the best of any eligible Bucs quarterback, and his 107.6 passer rating is also the best of any eligible Tampa Bay quarterback.
Mayfield’s 4,279 passing yards are already the fifth-most in a single season by a Buccaneers player, and if he gains 355 yards against the Saints, he would pass Tom Brady (4,633 in 2020) for fourth-most.
Speaking of Brady, there are several instances where Baker Mayfield is already among the best classes of all time, at least in terms of franchise best. and 5 touchdown day against Panthers In Week 17, Mayfield tied Brady’s record for most games in a season with three or more passing touchdowns. They currently share the record with eight teams, but another three-plus touchdown day Sunday against New Orleans would set Mayfield the single-season team record.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and Tom Brady – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Mayfield is also just two touchdown passes away from passing Brady (40 in 2020) for the second-most touchdown passes in a single season by a Tampa Bay quarterback. Four more passing touchdowns on Sunday would tie Brady’s single-season franchise record of 43, set in 2021.
His rushing score brought his total touchdowns to 42 in 2024, so Mayfield would have to tie Brady (45 as of 2021) for the most touchdowns in a season. has three total touchdowns, and would need four total to pass Brady (45 touchdowns in 2021).
When considering the big picture of the 2024 season, Baker Mayfield has already managed to put together a statistical season comparable to what Brady had during his three-year tenure from 2020-2022. And that’s pretty special, especially for a guy who was cast to the side by the Browns and Panthers just a year before becoming a backup.
Baker Mayfield is on track to become one of the best QBs in Bucs history.
Baker Mayfield still has one game left in the 2024 regular season to lock in his stat line for the year, but as it stands, he’s likely to be one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history over the next few years. I’m on track to become one. Of course, he’ll need to maintain the same pace he’s set the past two seasons, but his numbers could rise up there by the end of the three-year deal he signed this offseason. One of the best the Bucks have ever seen.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Even without considering Week 18’s yards, if Mayfield can maintain his pace over the next two seasons, he will have 16,646 passing yards by the end of the 2026 season. This is the second-highest total in Bucks history, trailing only Jameis Winston’s 19,737 over five seasons.
At his current pace of passing touchdowns, Mayfield would have 134 after four seasons with the team, shattering Winston’s franchise record of 121.
Mayfield has scored 750 goals in his two seasons with the Bucks, and if he can average 375 goals in 2025 and 2026, he will reach 1,500 goals by the end of his current contract. This is the second-highest total in team history behind Tom Brady’s 1,376 from 2020 to 2022.
There are a lot of “what-ifs” in these numbers, and many factors will influence what Mayfield can do in the next few years. Health is always one thing, but whether the Bucs can retain offensive coordinator Liam Cohen or find a good replacement if he leaves to take the head coaching job will also be a factor in the quarter. It will affect the success of the back. .
For now, it’s still worth appreciating how great Mayfield’s first two seasons were with the Bucks. It’s been quite the journey for Tampa Bay’s No. 6 player, from being the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018 to falling through the cracks in 2022 to becoming a true franchise quarterback in 2024.
