Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is coming off the best season, to date, of his career, one that ended when Tampa Bay suffered a wild-card playoff loss to the Washington Commanders.
While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Mayfield was asked about what he focused on trying to improve during the offseason.
“Turnovers, No. 1,” Mayfield said, as shared by the Buccaneers’ website. “…There is going to be an errant throw that, obviously, I am not trying to throw it to the defense, but I just miss it. Physical mistakes are going to happen. It is more the decision-making. Those are the ones that when we talk about situationally, how to be aggressive, where are we at in the field, and what are we looking at. Those are the ones that I am really trying to fine-tune.”
According to the Pro Football Reference website, Mayfield ended the 2024 regular season ranked third in the league with 4,500 passing yards, tied for second with 41 passing touchdowns and fourth among qualified players with a 106.8 passer rating. However, he also tossed a league-worst 16 interceptions (tied with Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons). Additionally, the StatMuse website shows no quarterback has committed more regular-season turnovers than Mayfield (31) since the start of the 2023 campaign.
“That’s always a work in progress,” Mayfield continued. “It is hard to simulate that unless you are really going scrimmage-type feel in practice.”
Perhaps the biggest challenge facing Mayfield this summer involves losing offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who is now head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It also seems like the Buccaneers could be without All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs for the start of the season after he had surgery on his right knee earlier this summer.
While answering a question about Wirfs, Mayfield acknowledged he and other offensive players will have “to minimize mistakes” and “let our defense thrive earlier in the year so we really get healthy.” Part of that process should involve Mayfield taking fewer hits than he absorbed over his first two campaigns with Tampa Bay.
As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to have Tampa Bay tied for seventh among the betting favorites at +1300 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX. Mayfield recognizing when to take a risk and when to simply throw the ball away and play for another down could help the 2025 Bucs do more than simply make a postseason appearance this coming winter.
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