NBA Hall of Famer gives high praise to Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback Baker Mayfield has become one of America's most beloved players to root for, becoming synonymous with words and phrases like "moxie" and "dawg".

It wasn't all that long ago that Mayfield was looked at as "immature" and "cocky", but that narrative has changed since he arrived in Tampa Bay.

Mayfield has led the Bucs to two straight postseason appearances and looks primed to do so once again this season after getting the team off to a 4-1 start with all four victories coming on Baker's shoulders on game-winning drives.

Mayfield's early 2025 performance has put him atop numerous MVP candidate lists and has earned him respect in the sports world at the same time. In a recent appearance on ESPN's First Take, legendary Philadelphia 76er and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson gave his thoughts on Mayfield.

Allen 'The Answer' Iverson on Baker Mayfield: 'I love Baker'

"Baker's a dog. I love Baker, you know what I mean. Play every game like it's his last, and I love everything about that."

"Baker [Mayfield] is a dog." 💪

Allen Iverson on who is the better QB right now between Dak Prescott and Baker Mayfield. pic.twitter.com/lRsmGqJpAv
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 8, 2025

Mayfield has earned the right to be labeled as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He has proven himself through resilience and always faced adversity head-on, and he's now earning all the praise, respect and accolades of being one of the best at his position.

After his best performance of the season against a strong Seattle Seahawks defense, Mayfield currently is the fourth-ranked quarterback when it comes to passing yards (1,283), third in passing touchdowns (10), eighth in QBR (68.8), a top-ten passer rating (104.4) and has only turned the ball over once through five games, with the next most efficient quarterbacks when it comes to turnovers being Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Daniel Jones (2).

Mayfield is a dog, and he plays like it every time he steps onto that gridiron. He has helped will the Bucs to numerous victories, and his disciplined yet passionate play and performance are a large reason why Tampa Bay is one of the league's top contending teams.

Mayfield has done all of this while missing a slew of key players for portions of the season, including Mike Evans, Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Bucky Irving. He has played at an extremely high level despite missing those guys, so once the band is fully back together and healthy, the MVP trophy could be Mayfield's to lose.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 season.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Buccaneers linked to blockbuster trade for Baker Mayfield’s college teammate

• Super Bowl champion believes Buccaneers rookie could be next Ja’Marr Chase

• Buccaneers legend Warren Sapp calls out ex-teammate over team criticism

• Star Eagles player receives shocking punishment for taunting Buccaneers