Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield Bashed as Regression Candidate

Since arriving in free agency two seasons ago, Baker Mayfield has been the near-perfect kind of franchise quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The former first-overall pick has been an excellent leader; he has led the team to the playoffs in back-to-back years and even put up some gaudy numbers.

There is a concern for Mayfield going into 2025, though.

As the former Cleveland Brown enters his third season with the Buccaneers, he will have his third different offensive coordinator and play-caller. Josh Grizzard is taking over after Liam Coen and Dave Canales received head coaching jobs for their work with Mayfield.

It's why … 

Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine believes there is a possibility of Mayfield regressing in 2025.

"Mayfield has been on an upward trajectory since joining the Bucs in 2023, but it's worth noting that year-to-year consistency has been an issue for him. His Browns career was marred by his inability to be the best version of himself every year," Ballentine wrote.

"Unfortunately, a lot of that could be tied to turbulent coaching situations."

Instability as a play-caller is a big reason many quarterbacks struggle in their careers. If Mayfield wants to continue to prove he can be Tampa's franchise quarterback, he'll need to continue to succeed with a different offensive coach.

While it isn't easy, Mayfield does have some things working for him that other quarterbacks in the NFL do not.

Tampa Bay has a collection of excellent pass catchers, including Mike Evans. The offense also has a 1,000-yard running back in Bucky Irving.

There's plenty of talent on the offense for Mayfield to succeed, even with a new play-caller. 

We don’t think the site means to bash Baker. (Or does it?) But we say …

The organization should not worry about any regression coming for their quarterback.