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Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis remembers the moment he noticed a change in Baker Mayfield as the quarterback heads into Year 2 with the franchise.
It was at the beginning of training camp in July, and Mayfield was flushed from the pocket quickly on a play. But he wasn’t eyeing or racing toward the first-down marker on the sideline. Instead, Mayfield kept his eyes downfield and fired a completion.
“A lot of those times last year … he [was] going to run and try to get it himself,” Lewis told ESPN. “Just get out of bounds.”
While Mayfield scrambled for 171 yards last season, he attempted only 40 passes on the move — 25th in the league — and completed 21 of them, as his chemistry with wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Trey Palmer and tight end Cade Otton was developing.
“[Now] he’s moving in the pocket and keeping his eyes downfield and making plays on the run, which I think is one of his best attributes,” Lewis said. “… That makes the defense [play more honest, with] an extra guy they got to cover that they don’t account for. … I was like, ‘OK, cool. You’re taking that next step.'”
That’s what the preparation for the season has been about for not only Mayfield, but for the Bucs — taking the next step. He produced a number of personal bests with a 64.3% completion rate, 4,044 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and a 1.8% interception percentage. There was an NFC South title, and he delivered two of the franchise’s four highest passing yardage totals in team postseason history.
He also became the first Buc to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in a playoff game, going for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-9 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card game, and 349 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-23 divisional-round loss at the Detroit Lions.
“He was very focused last year,” general manager Jason Licht said. “There’s just a little bit different gleam in his eye, and I think a little bit maybe has to do [with the fact] that he’s a father now. This is not saying he wasn’t mature, but he just seems to [have] a little bit more to prove, which I’d love to see. I love when people say things about him and doubt him — it energizes this entire team.”
Mayfield, 29, spent last offseason and the majority of training camp learning a new offense. He was also trying to win a starting job and fighting to resurrect his then-floundering career, with the Bucs becoming his fourth team in one calendar year.
“Listen, I love a good adventure. It was fun hopping around. We saw a lot of it — the U.S. — but it feels really good,” his wife, Emily, said on finally having a stable home with Tampa.
IT’S UNDENIABLY MAYFIELD’S team now, which is why the Bucs gave him a say in their offensive coordinator hire before they inked him to a three-year contract worth $100 million to bring him back to Tampa.
“For me, yeah, it’s comfortable knowing that I’m here for a longer time period, but don’t be satisfied with that,” Mayfield said. “We still think about how far we got last year and where we could’ve been and just the ups and downs. Every season is different, but you always kind of think back to where you were at at this point last year and I think we have a better identity. So now, it’s really about attacking it and going to get what we’re working for. I feel good about where we’re at.”
It’s also why they fortified the interior offensive line with two draft picks — including first-round center Graham Barton — and two free agent signings (Ben Bredeson won the starting left guard job with Sua Opeta going to injured reserve), selected wide receiver Jalen McMillan in the third round and got some extra insurance at running back with Bucky Irving in the fourth.
Most importantly, they made sure Pro Bowlers Tristan Wirfs and Evans never left the building by giving them new deals.
“He’s done well,” new offensive coordinator Liam Coen told ESPN. “He has gotten us into good looks, and sometimes it can be a little bit on his plate, but he’s done a nice job so far, handling some of the checks and audibles at the line of scrimmage.”
Mayfield has looked completely at home in Coen’s offense despite more responsibility than last year under Dave Canales. Instead of there being a maximum of two plays he can check to at the line of scrimmage based on what he’s seeing from the defense, Mayfield now has three to ensure he can get the right play against the right defense. It also makes it that much more important that the quarterback and receivers are on the same page.
“That’s why it was important for me to do the whole offseason program with the system and with everybody else that was learning it from the get-go. We’ve had a lot of reps at this point,” said Mayfield, who says the thing Coen has helped him the most with is “never feeling handcuffed at the line of scrimmage.”
“He has given me all of the answers to possibly have — [it’s] getting up there and making the right checks,” Mayfield said. “To be able to process that information really quickly is what he harps on in the QB room, of getting us into a good position, ‘If it doesn’t look right, get out of it. You have the power to do so.'”
Coen, who worked with Mayfield during his five-game stint with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, said the biggest change he’s noticed is in Mayfield’s composure.
“I would say just his calmness ability to kind of handle the whole thing,” Coen said. “He’s totally in control, and he is just confident. … He’s still trying to prove, but he’s also comfortable, which is a good thing.”
MAYFIELD AND THE starters didn’t play much in the preseason, but in his lone series — which came in the final game — he completed 3-of-3 passing attempts for 54 passing yards.
It included a highlight reel 28-yard completion to McMillan thrown into double coverage before running back Rachaad White punched it in for a 4-yard score one play later.
It accomplished a goal Mayfield and the offense had set of scoring on their first possession of the preseason — something they failed to do all last season.
“We talked about it all offseason, how we needed to start faster,” Mayfield said. “We’re going to have a great defense, so jumping out early is something that’s important for us — just to set the tone. We need to be efficient early on. We don’t need to wait to get hit in the mouth to figure things out.”
Mayfield also believes a lot of their issues last year up until midway and even late in the season stemmed from a lack of an identity, which he now believes is their versatility.
Their ground game showed promise in the preseason, with running backs averaging 4.1 yards per carry, after averaging a league-worst 3.4 yards last season.
They’ll continue to utilize White in the passing game — something they didn’t really focus on until Week 9 at the Buffalo Bills last season. Godwin has moved back into the familiar confines of the slot, where the Bucs’ No. 2 wide receiver has been his most productive. His 236 receptions there are third most of any receiver in the league since 2019.
Their offense has been jazzed up with more motion — both pre-snap and at the snap. According to ESPN Statistics & Information, the Bucs used motion before or at the snap on 42.8% of their snaps in 2023, which was 25th in the NFL. They’re also utilizing more motion in their run game. For example, in the third preseason game, an isolated McMillan came across the back of the formation on a fake jet sweep as Mayfield handed the ball off to White.
“We didn’t do a ton of that in the past,” Godwin said. “I think we sprinkled a little bit of it in, but that wasn’t like the last coaching staff’s philosophy. So that was something that we had to adjust to, and we’re still kind of working through like the kinks of it all, but that’s something that I think they like to do.”
Still, Mayfield is the one running the show and connecting the dots for all the new wrinkles and philosophies. He’s made it a point to make sure all of the guys are on the same page. During camp, he would frequently seek out his receiving targets after a series, where he’d share feedback. It’s a two-way street, as well.
“There’s not a question about who the guy is. He knows that it’s his team, and I think he moves accordingly,” Godwin said. “Not even in like an arrogant way or anything, but just like understanding the level of communication that needs to happen between him and the rest of the guys about where we need to be at, about improving specific plays or just trying to communicate the things that him and Liam talk about, so that we’re all on the same page.”
Lewis said that while Mayfield’s always been a “natural-born leader,” and he’s able to show it more now that he has a year under his belt with the organization. He’s set to dig his feet in and kick Year 2 off against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 8 (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX) at Raymond James Stadium and try to do just that.
“When you’re in a ‘prove it’ state of mind, and you’ve been let go a couple times, you just kind of keep your head down and grind,” Lewis said. “Now he’s the guy that knows this is his locker room and he’s bringing guys along with him.
“He trying to get guys on the same page. You just see the confidence level and the weight lifted off his shoulders, that he’s found a home — this is his home.”