Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Drops In NFL Top 100 Rankings

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't have the year they wanted in 2025 when they missed out on the NFC South with an 8-9 record, and the same went for quarterback Baker Mayfield, who had a significant drop-off in the back half of his 2025 season.

Once an MVP candidate to start the season, Tampa Bay's fall-off saw Mayfield's play drop significantly in turn, and the Bucs plummeted to 8-9 after a fiery 6-2 start. He dropped further in offseason rankings because of this, too, and that includes his place in the annual NFL Top 100.

The Top 100, voted on by NFL players, is a showcase of who NFL rosters believe to be the best among them every offseason. And while Mayfield's ranking may have dropped from 2025 to 2026, his competition still had some strong words of praise for him as he looks to bounce back this year.

Baker Mayfield Clocks In at No. 77 in NFL Top 100

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws downfield during the second quarter | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mayfield came in at No. 77 in this year's NFL Top 100. That mark is a departure from last year, when he was ranked No. 50.

No. 77 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/JsCX8LQzQV
— NFL (@NFL) July 7, 2026

That 27-spot drop is likely due to the back half of his 2025 season, where he became much more inefficient than he was in the first half of the year. Mayfield's MVP-caliber play from the first half of that season didn't carry over, but that doesn't mean he played poorly enough to be left off the list altogether.

Mayfield's NFL peers still thought quite highly of him during his 2025 campaign. The first player to praise him was one of his NFC South rivals in New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough.

"I grew up watching what he did, just the swagger, the demeanor that he plays with," Shough said in the video. "His personality, I really resonate with it. Being able to go play the Bucs each year, you're gonna go out there and compete. It kinda motivates you, obviously, to go up against him, someone you look up to."

Mayfield also received praise from two Houston Texans defensive stars in edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and cornerback Derek Stingley. Mayfield beat the Texans in 2025 in a close 20-19 showdown on prime time.

"I think he has one of the biggest hearts in the game," Anderson said of Mayfield. "He just has that, 'Man, whatever it takes to win this game, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna put the team on my back, man.' I have a ton of respect for him."

Mayfield is seeking a contract extension while on the last year of his $33 million APY deal, and testimonies like these are exactly why he and the Buccaneers want to get that deal done sooner rather than later. Mayfield has given the Bucs a training camp deadline to get that deal done with him, and the start of camp is approaching fast.

Mayfield and the rest of the team will begin training camp on July 28th, where he'll take the first steps to try and improve his ranking in the NFL Top 100 next offseason.

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