Baker Mayfield Not Happy With Bucs’ First Jaguars Practice, And He Shouldn't Be

Things did not go well for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their first day of joint practice against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Multiple missed throws and interceptions from the offense and a lack of ability to stop Jacksonville's offense on defense plagued the team throughout the practice.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws the ball during a joint Buccaneers‑Jaguars NFL practice at the Miller Electric Center on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Baker Mayfield Is Not Happy

One person who was not happy with the way things went was Baker Mayfield, who had this to say on today's practice in a press conference:

"It's tough. I thought, you know, they gave us some good looks. They were playing with their hair on fire, I'll say that. If this was a full game, I don't think we would have come out on the winning side of it. So, [it was] just a little eye-opening. [We've] got to get back and watch the tape. You know, it's never as good or as bad as you think it is.

"I think, from my standpoint, they out-physicaled us, and that's never what you want to have. So, it doesn't matter who we have out there – you want guys that are going to do their very best to be the more physical team and want it more, and I don't know if we did that today. The tape will tell, but, yeah, two-minute work was decent… But, yeah, at that point in practice, we've got to get in game shape. Guys were kind of huffing and puffing a little bit. It's hot, I get it, but, yeah, we needed it."

Mayfield is correct in his assessment. This should be eye-opening for the Bucs, because today's practice felt like a very clear difference between a mediocre team in the Bucs and an elite team in the Jaguars. It also doesn't help that the bitter taste of Liam Coen leaving the team for the Jaguars head coaching job still lingers in many Bucs fans' minds.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen talks on his head set during the second quarter during the first half against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium in the second preseason game on Friday night, August 21, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Can Iron Sharpen Iron?

Hopefully, this is the wake-up call that the Bucs need to get themselves into gear over the next couple of days of practice. The benefit of going up against a team like the Jaguars should be a huge boon for them, especially with the defensive players matching up against a great offensive mind in Coen.

We will have to wait and see how the Bucs respond to the performance in today's practice and whether or not it will make them, or break them.

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