Bucs Gameday

NFL analyst says Buccaneers can’t win Super Bowl with Baker Mayfield

Despite his exceptional performance as the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, some still don't believe that Baker Mayfield has what it takes to lead them to the promise land.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield walks out of the tunnel for warm ups before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield walks out of the tunnel for warm ups before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Despite his exceptional play since being named the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two years ago (which has included two consecutive NFC South Division titles), Baker Mayfield is still unable to earn the respect of all his doubters.

READ MORE: Buccaneers obliterate NFC South opponents on free agency report card

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com has shown his aversion to Mayfield as a quarterback previously, including last year when he ranked Mayfield below Jacoby Brissett on his ranking of current NFL quarterbacks.

Apparently, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 TD's (both top 3 in the league) while completing 70% of his passes in 2024 wasn't enough to sway Rosenthal's opinion on the Bucs' feisty quarterback.

On a recent episode of his podcast, NFL Daily, Rosenthal offered a scathing opinion of Mayfield as the quarterback for the Bucs.

“If [the Buccaneers] had a slightly better quarterback, I’d think they’d be in the inner circle of Super Bowl contenders," Rosenthal said.

Rosenthal didn't exactly hold back either when his hot take was called into question, "It’s not hate; he’s great... I think they would be in the inner circle of Super Bowl favorites if, like, Justin Herbert was their quarterback.”

Yikes.

Following a tumultuous few seasons after being cast out of Cleveland, Baker Mayfield's ascension as the quarterback of the Buccaneers has been one the better stories in the league.

When you consider Mayfield's performance over the past two seasons, the Bucs' success as a team with him at the helm and the support he's earned from his teammates and coaches along the way, it becomes quite clear that despite the occasional critic, those who see him work day-in day-out have the utmost confidence in his abilities to lead the Buccaneers to another Super Bowl.


READ MORE: Mike Evans refused bigger deal from another team to continue legacy with Buccaneers

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.

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