It took a long while for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to get back to the top of the NFC South. It was widely considered one of the worst divisions in the NFL and, somehow, the Bucs rose as the team to beat. It shouldn’t be a surprise, though. After the brief Tom Brady era brought a championship to South Florida, they had to turn their eyes to the next face of the franchise.
Through the bottom of the barrel, they found Baker Mayfield who was leftover scraps in the NFL, having been traded to Houston and never played a down, then sent to Carolina where he lost the job to Sam Darnold and then was traded to the Los Angeles Rams where he was just there because they depleted all their other quarterbacks.
Mayfield found his way to Tampa Bay and has been playing the best football of his NFL career as a former No. 1 overall pick. The Cleveland Browns gave up on him because they thought Deshaun Watson was the answer. Now three years later, he’s on a team that’s not just winning, but looking like a contender going into Week 5.
Because of Mayfield, the litany of offensive weapons around him and a Todd Bowles led defense, the Buccaneers aren’t just a good team in the NFC South, they’re a serious contender again, and we have to start admitting that. This team isn’t just scraping by, they’re a legit threat in the postseason.
How Baker Mayfield turned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into contenders
In a way, this was always the potential of Mayfield, the Browns were just too impatient to see it through. After all, Mayfield not only ended the Browns’ 19-game losing streak after going 0-16 in 2017. He then led them to their first playoff appearance in 2020 since 2002. He literally turned that team around and they abandoned him. So why he’s played the best in his career in Tampa Bay shouldn’t be a surprise.
This is the same Baker Mayfield, he’s just with a team that believes in him. The past two seasons in Tampa Bay, Mayfield has eclipsed 4,000 passing yards, the only two seasons he’s done so in his NFL career and last year he had 41 passing touchdowns, which was tied for second most.
Giving him an arsenal of Mike Evans, who has had at least 1,000 receiving yards every season he’s been in the NFL, Chris Godwin who’s been a solid No. 2 option when he’s healthy and now Emeka Egbuka, who’s carried the lineage of standout Ohio State receivers in the NFL, it’s no wonder he’s playing at an elite level.
In Tampa Bay, he doesn’t have to do everything, which is the only time in his career he didn’t have to be the savior. He simply elevates this team without doing too much, which is exactly what you need from a franchise quarterback. This team wouldn’t be where they are without Mayfield and it’s clear that they aren’t just division contenders, but playoff and possibly even Super Bowl contenders as long as Mayfield is under center.
Why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are really Super Bowl contenders
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might have the best all-around team in the NFL. While you could make the argument that Philadelphia is better not just because they beat them but because they didn’t lose a lot from last year’s championship team, there aren’t any holes in this Tampa Bay team. From offense to defense and each individual position, there’s not a team deeper than the Bucs.
The Bucs have been overlooked by the surging Detroit Lions, Jayden Daniels led Washington Commanders, the always dangerous San Francisco 49ers and the defending champions. But the Bucs have won the last four division titles and seemingly gotten better each year they’ve won it.
That may be one of the worst divisions, but to have that type of dominance goes a long way to building a contender. They constructed this team to contend for a championship and they’ve done it in the background. They don’t score a lot of points, but they don't have to with one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL.
They’ve given up more than 20 points just twice in the first four games. They aren’t a flashy offense, but they always find a way to score. Mayfield is leading game-winning drives left and right; Egbuka is looking less like a rookie and more like the perfect incumbent to Mike Evans as his career comes to an end.
This Buccaneers team is sneaky good, but it shouldn’t be a surprise anymore. They’ve proven they can dominate the division. Now it comes down to dominating in the playoffs. Mayfield has just one playoff win in his two seasons, and has been to the playoffs each year in Tampa Bay. This year feels like they have the squad to disrupt the playoffs.
Just like the Detroit Lions went on a miracle run to the NFC championship game two years ago and the Washington Commanders did it last year, 2025 feels like the year the Bucs will be the team to make a surprise run. Fortunately for them, I don’t think it will end in the NFC title game though, they have the squad to be crowned the best team in the NFL.