The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to be a fascinating watch in 2025 with Todd Bowles' team having genuine Super Bowl intentions for the first time since Tom Brady arrived.
As Bucs training camp opens this week - rookies report on Monday, veterans report on Tuesday and the full squad team will take the field together for the first practice on Wednesday - the QB is the centerpiece.
Baker Mayfield leads what could be the best offense in football under Josh Grizzard and is repaying the faith Tampa Bay put in him a couple of years ago, and he has the weapons that are the envy of the NFL.
Set to be the favorites in the NFC South, the Buccaneers are expected to go on a deep playoff run, and if they do, say win a game or two, then it would be out of the realm of possibility that Mayfield lands a monster new contract?
ESPN's Dan Graziano doesn't think it is an overreaction to predict the Bucs winning the NFC South and Mayfield landing a big new contract next offseason.
"Tampa Bay has quietly been one of the most consistently good teams in spite of tons of changes, and Mayfield's career resurgence has been a major reason for that," Graziano wrote. "The Bucs got him for next to nothing before the 2023 season, then rewarded him with a three-year, $100 million contract prior to the 2024 season. The Falcons look like the top challenger, but they couldn't unseat the Bucs last season even after beating Tampa Bay in both head-to-head matchups.
"Mayfield found a home in Tampa Bay and has been consistently productive since he got there. The Bucs deserve to be the division favorites. And if they win it again, Mayfield will have a strong case for a big raise."
It does feel like Mayfield has all the tools needed to not only make the playoffs but to do some serious damage once there. Last season showed how close Tampa Bay came to not making it, though, with injuries crippling both sides of the ball, so avoiding that is key.
The Falcons do pose a threat, but Michael Penix Jr., in his first time as the bona fide starter, is an unknown, but we know what Tampa Bay is, and that is a genuine beast in the NFC.
If Mayfield can lead the Buccaneers to a third straight division title under his guidance and win a couple of playoff games, his career resurgence will be cemented, and so too will be his ability to command a sizable contract in the offseason.
