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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Bucky Irving needs to prove he can stay healthy and be a true workhorse back in the NFL. Emeka Egbuka needs to show he can handle a bigger role with Mike Evans gone. Tristan Wirfs needs to stay on the field. And rookie Rueben Bain Jr. needs to prove the 14 teams that passed on him in the draft made a big mistake.
But this team goes as Baker Mayfield goes, and he's playing for a new contract at 31 years old, in his first season in Tampa without Evans lining up next to him.
Mayfield resurrected his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading the team to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024, earning two straight Pro Bowls, and playing in all 17 games in each of his first three seasons with the team.
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But 2025 was a bit rockier than what we were used to. He started red-hot, throwing 12 touchdowns and just a single interception across the first six games of the season, leading the Bucs to a 5-1 start that had him in the conversation for league MVP. Then, Tampa lost seven of its last nine games, finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Mayfield ended the year with 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, along with 382 rushing yards, and completed 63.2% of his passes. Those numbers aren't horrible, but it was by far his worst season in Tampa.
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While Mayfield toughed out all 17 games, that doesn't mean he wasn't banged up. He recently revealed in Season 3 of Netflix's "Quarterback" docuseries that he battled through MCL and PCL sprains for most of the 2025 season, on top of a bone bruise, a biceps tendon injury, and an AC joint sprain in his non-throwing shoulder.
He's still a legit Ironman who hasn't missed a game due to injury since 2022. But the wear and tear is real, and at 31, that's not nothing.
Mayfield is now entering the final year of his contract, and negotiations on an extension remain unresolved. It's widely believed a deal will eventually get done, but NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported in early July that the two sides "are not close" on an extension, with Mayfield's camp pushing for a figure beyond what the Bucs currently appear willing to pay.
Deal or no deal, 2026 is gearing up to be a massive year for Mayfield. If he can stay upright and recapture the form he showed over the first half of last season, both he and the Bucs could be in line for the extension and a return to the playoffs.
If he breaks down, though, or the offense struggles without Evans, is it crazy to think this could be his last year in a Bucs uniform?
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