Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarterback Baker Mayfield is easily the best signal caller in the division, yet it slowly feels like the narrative is turning against him after the way the Bucs played in the second half of the season.
But anyone paying close attention to the Bucs could see that he was the least of their probelms and was fighting through his own injuries, the injuries around him, poor play, and even worse coaching from both Josh Grizzard and Todd Bowles.
As the offseason continues and more media outlets release various rankings, it is becoming clear that the Buccaneers are not getting the respect they deserve despite being seen as Super Bowl contenders for much of the 2025 season before the injuries ruined their campaign.
CBS Sports writer Jared Dubin ranked every NFL team's best offensive trios based on a quarterback, running back, and either a wide receiver or a tight end. He chose the trident of quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Bucky Irving, and second year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (over veteran Chris Godwin Jr.) as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trio.
Tua Tagovailoa over Baker Mayfield is crazy work
And he went ahead and ranked them all the way down in 19th. That itself is already a problem, but it was not even the most egregious part of the ranking. CBS Sports put the Buccaneers right behind the Atlanta Falcons in 16th, ranking quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, running back Bijan Robinson, and wide receiver Drake London.
Baker Mayfield does not need any additional motivation, but he seems like the kind of player who will take that as even more bulletin board material to go out there and have a big year. Because ranking an offensive trident with Tua leading it over one with Baker is a massive disrespect. Tua looks genuinely finished at the top level and was horrendous last season, whereas Baker was touted as an MVP candidate before the injuries set in.
The Falcons ranking is clearly being hard carried by Bijan at running back, and while he is an amazing player, the running back position is also the least important while the quarterback position is by far the most important. Meanwhile, London vs. Egbuka is pretty much a wash, and Egbuka probably has a lot more upside since he is getting his first chance to truly shine and connect with Mayfield this season. But at the end of the day, the Bucs won't mind; the underdog role always suited them best.
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