The Tampa Bay Buccaneers definitely want to put the 2025 season behind them. Despite emerging as favorites at the start of the year, a run of seven losses in eight games in the second half of the season crushed their playoff hopes. Baker Mayfield, in particular, struggled with an injury and wasn’t at his best.
General Manager Jason Licht Lists Reasons for Quarterback Baker Mayfield’s Return to Form in 2026
Mayfield established himself as the franchise quarterback in Tampa Bay after multiple productive seasons. He took over after Tom Brady’s retirement and hasn’t looked back since. The expectation is that he’ll sign a contract extension before the start of the 2026 season.
Still, even with the excuse of an injury, Mayfield wasn’t at his best in 2025. He nursed a shoulder injury for most of the season and couldn’t lead the Buccaneers into a fifth straight division championship. The Carolina Panthers qualified for the playoffs despite a losing record.
For general manager Jason Licht, Mayfield’s form entering 2026 isn’t a concern. While he acknowledges that the quarterback had difficulties in the past year, Licht mentioned in a recent interview with ESPN’s “This Is Football” that he expects Baker to “bounce back”:
Licht: “Well, adversity seems to um, drive him, and he thrives on it. And, he is very confident person. He’s a great leader. He’s tough as nails. I have a lot of high hopes for how he’s going to perform this year.”
Our PFSN QB Impact Metric agrees that Mayfield didn’t have his best season in 2025. He was ranked as No. 24 with a grade of 73.6, below quarterbacks such as Kyler Murray, Marcus Mariota, and Tyler Shough. By comparison, he was ranked No. 12 in 2023 and No. 7 in 2024.
Another point that hurt Mayfield’s performance in 2025 was the absence of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in multiple weeks. The star wide receivers suffered long-term injuries that did not help their performances. While Godwin will return in 2026, Mike Evans left in free agency and joined the San Francisco 49ers.
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Mayfield’s numbers were not bad. He had 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions throughout the season. However, the drop-off in his performance was clear, especially as his shoulder injury worsened. The 6-2 start to the season couldn’t be maintained.
Baker will push for an extension. He has one year left on his deal, with a $10 million base salary remaining. The Buccaneers will hope that, whenever they give him a new contract, he can return to his best level, even if Evans now plays for a different team.
