Baker Mayfield is at his best when there’s a chip on his shoulder, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback will have plenty of motivation entering the 2026 season.
Public opinion has soured on the Buccaneers after they collapsed last season, squandering a 6-2 start and finishing 8-9. They lost their two longest-tenured players in franchise legends Lavonte David and Mike Evans. They’re also dealing with contract disputes with Mayfield himself as well as Vita Vea. Throw in head coach Todd Bowles sitting on the hot seat and Zac Robinson being the team’s fifth offensive coordinator in five seasons, and it’s understandable why people have their reservations about Tampa Bay.
To the outside world, the sky is falling. But inside the walls of One Buc Place, they’re fully expecting a bounce-back season and a return to playoff contention. Nobody is more determined than their franchise quarterback.
Baker Mayfield thinks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will shock the NFL in 2026
Speaking to reporters after practice Tuesday, Mayfield acknowledged the sea of doubt surrounding the Buccaneers, and made it clear that the team is ready to prove their doubters wrong.
“I think we’re going to shock a lot of people this year… Everybody’s picking us to probably have a losing record so, we’ll see,” Mayfield said.
He jokingly quipped that there are TVs everywhere, and the outside noise is inescapable.
He isn’t wrong. The Buccaneers’ win total is set at just 8.5 wins. Many analysts are flocking to the Panthers to repeat as division champs, or the up-and-coming Saints as a dark horse. The Bucs don’t have many believers in the national media.
If the Buccaneers are going to be a great team in 2026, it all starts with Mayfield. For the first half of last season, he played at an MVP level, and Tampa Bay held the No. 1 seed in the NFC at 6-2.
But when Mayfield’s play declined, so did the team’s win-loss record. They finished 2-7 over the final nine games and missed the playoffs. Much of that was due to injuries to Mayfield himself as well as the supporting cast around him.
But excuses won’t fly this season. It’s a pivotal year in Tampa Bay that will determine which direction the franchise will take next offseason. Will they retain Bowles as head coach? Will they sign Mayfield to a long-term contract extension? How about the team’s other free agents including Vita Vea, Chris Godwin, Yaya Diaby and Cody Mauch?
That all hinges on how this season plays out. The Glazers aren’t going to open the checkbook to keep together the core of a mediocre, fringe playoff team.
If Mayfield can prove the doubters wrong and lead the Buccaneers to a great season, it could change the trajectory of the franchise and secure the future of its core players and coaching staff.
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