With Mike Evans leaving to join the San Francisco 49ers, there is no question that Baker Mayfield is THE face of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2026. We all know how much better the Bake plays when he has a chip on his shoulder, and the one Evans just placed on him is as grand as Mt. Everest. But Evans is not the only high profile Bucs player to snub the team in free agency this spring, and there are others who are adding mountains to fill out the Himalayan sized range that could propel Mayfield to prove the world wrong in the biggest way yet.
Evans leaving the Bucs takes the top weapon away from Mayfield and leaves the fan base reeling, especially after he both made it clear that he thinks he can win more with the 49ers and that he feels the home atmosphere is superior in THAT Bay Area than the one with the country's most beautiful beaches and acquatic wildlife.
In any case, the sentiment has been echoed by defensive players Logan Hall and Jamel Dean, too. According to Pittsburgh Steelers beat writer Alan Saunders, Dean chose to sign with the Steelers instead of staying in Tampa Bay because of Pittsburgh's winning culture, "All we do is win here. I'm at the point of my career where I'm trying to chase another Super Bowl."
Jamel Dean is living in a different dimension
Not only is Dean already absorbing the "we" hear, but he is invoking a cliche of the Steelers organization that has not been true in at least a decade. They have not been Super Bowl contenders in a while, and the Bucs have been a bigger threat more recently and have won a Super Bowl more recently than the supposedly well run organization, which has really devolved into a farce.
The Steelers hopes are reliant on Aaron Rodgers's future, they just fired Mike Tomlin, and even though they made the playoffs last season, they have been the definition of one and done (Marvin Lewis would be VERY proud) in the postseason in the past decade.
So Dean leaving the Buccaneers for the Steelers is a lateral move, at best. And you just know the Baltimore Ravens aren't going to be as bad in 2026 with a healthy Lamar Jackson, nor will the Cincinnati Bengals be as little of a threat since Joe Burrow figures to be healthier, too.
The Steelers have a washed roster that is trending down. Their biggest breakout star, Kenny Gainwell, literally joined the Bucs. So Evans, Dean, Hall, and anyone else can disparage the Bucs, but the arrow is turning down on all those guys whereas the likes of Mayfield and Gainwell have nowhere to go but up in 2026.