Bucs Fans – Be Optimistic About Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask

– Bucs QB Baker Mayfield photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It is only late May, and the Bucs have already been forecast to be one of the NFL’s worst teams this upcoming season. Instead of being predicted to repeat as NFC South division winners, 2024 mock drafts already have them placed in the Top 5 and selecting a new quarterback.

Just a couple of days ago, ESPN came out with a projected 2024 draft order and had the Bucs at No.3 with an 11.3% chance to be No.1 and a 68% chance to be in the Top 10.

But let’s just say that much like how Geno Smith was written off in Seattle, Baker Mayfield puts up a similar season in Tampa Bay. Or, should he fail to be the answer, Kyle Trask realizes his potential after sitting behind Tom Brady and becomes a quality signal-caller.

What ramifications could this have on the team, and could one of them eventually enter the conversation as one of the top quarterbacks in team history?

Although this appears unlikely from the outside, there is plenty of optimism inside the Bucs headquarters of the team’s situation at quarterback. With a lot of talent still on the roster at all levels, one does not have to squint hard to see the team being able to make a playoff run.

This is the kind of optimism Bucs fans should have, too. After all, things could be a lot worse.

Instead of the dark days after the 2002 Super Bowl-winning team, much of the core from the 2020 Super Bowl champions has stuck around and is young enough to carry the next era of Bucs football.

Baker Mayfield Or Kyle Trask Can Become One Of The Best QBs In Bucs History

Now, saying that either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask can become one of the best quarterbacks in team history is a very bold statement. But is it really that unrealistic?

Yes, the Bucs have recently employed the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady. But aside from him, no other quarterback since the franchise’s inception was truly a game-changing player in either the creamsicle orange or red and pewter.

If I had to make a Top 5 list of Bucs QBs based on their wins-losses, stats, and accomplishments in Tampa Bay, it would be something like this:

1. Tom Brady (2020-2022): 32-18 record, 14,643 yards, 108 TDs, 33 INTs, 98.1 QB rating, Super Bowl LV Champion, 1x Pro Bowler

No argument should be made here. Brady’s three-season run in Tampa Bay was filled with some of the biggest moments in franchise and city history. In terms of performance, no other quarterback even comes close.

Pair that with winning his seventh Super Bowl, an epic boat parade, and bringing his competitive mindset and influence to the team will have a lasting impact. Brady’s final two seasons were as a back-to-back NFC South champion.

2. Brad Johnson (2001-2004): 26-23 record, 10,940 yards, 64 TDs, 41 INTs, 83.2 QB Rating, Super Bowl XXXVII Champion, 1x Pro Bowler

Notice a theme here? Winning a Super Bowl has significant weight and prestige on this list. But Johnson was no slouch as an underrated signal-caller for what was a defensive-minded team under Jon Gruden.

He put up more than respectable numbers with three consecutive 3,000 yards seasons with a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio. He had the best record and second-best passer rating compared to other quarterbacks below him on this list.

This highlight video is a must-watch for a trip down memory lane of him leading the offense in 2002.

3. Trent Dilfer (1994-1999): 38-38 record, 12,969 yards, 70 TDs, 80 INTs, 69.4 QB Rating, 1x Pro Bowler 

This is where it gets interesting, and some shuffling of these guys is understandable. But choosing to stick with Dilfer here, he led the team back to respectability between 1994-1999. After not posting a winning record since the shortened 1982 season, Dilfer led the Bucs to two above .500 seasons and one .500 mark.

This may not seem like much, but it was a far cry from some of the darker days of double-digit losing seasons. Dilfer has the most wins of any quarterback in team history and even made a Pro Bowl appearance in 1997. He would go on to win a Super Bowl, but it was the season after he left for the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.

4. Doug Williams (1978-1982): 33-33-1 record, 12,648 yards, 73 TDs, 73 INTs, 66.2 QB Rating, 1-3 in Playoffs

Williams is perhaps best known for his 1987 Super Bowl win with the then-Washington Redskins, but Williams was the first prominent quarterback in team history.

By modern standards, he did not light up the stat sheet, but he led Tampa Bay into the playoffs three times and guided them to the most success they would have for a long time after he left.

He still holds franchise records in most game-winning drives (14) and fourth-quarter comebacks (13). After his playing days, he returned to the Bucs as a personnel executive and coordinator of pro scouting. He still has a legacy for what he did to put them on the map.

5. Jameis Winston (2015-2019): 28-42 record, 19,737 yards, 121 TDs, 88 INTs, 86.9 QB Rating, 1x Pro Bowler

Last, but certainly not least is Winston, the holder of the league’s first 30-30 season (33 TDs, 30 INTs). To be fair, his time with the Bucs was not horrific, and he was not a bust compared to many other first-overall selections. Still, he failed to live up to his draft status for being more of an average quarterback than truly changing the team’s trajectory.

In what is now a passing-driven league like never before, it is worth noting that he has the team records for most passing yards and touchdowns.

How Baker Mayfield Or Kyle Trask Can Make The List

To make this list – at a minimum – would require either Mayfield or Trask to start at least three seasons with the Bucs and likely more. As well as this, both would need to put together a few seasons of strong performance and win games in the playoffs. Besides Winston, each quarterback listed above won at least one playoff game.

But to be the second-best quarterback in team history would mean tenure and a deep playoff run or a Super Bowl win to surpass Johnson. The Bucs are seen as anything but Super Bowl contenders currently, but for all of the doubt put on the Bucs in 2023, there is a lot to like about the 2023 roster.

The offense has some of the NFL’s best weapons in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and Rachaad White should emerge as the lead back. All-Pro Tristan Wirfs leads the offensive line, while Vita Vea captains the defensive line.

With Lavonte David, Carlton Davis III, Jamel Dean, and Antoine Winfield Jr., there are high-caliber players anchoring each level on defense. It is a defense Pewter Report discussed at length recently.

This means that whoever quarterbacks the Bucs this season does not have a ton of pressure to produce; they just have to play their kind of game. For Mayfield, that means bringing the swagger and becoming comfortable with a team after bouncing around the league. Trask just needs not to make mistakes and be the “point guard” of offensive coordinator Dave Canales’ system. The franchise is in a position to surprise people, but it will all come down to the quarterback play.

Mayfield or Trask can climb up the passing leaderboards quickly if they become comfortable as the starter. If one of them were to be the quarterback for the next five seasons, it is likely they would be the record holder for nearly all of the team’s passing records.

Yes, Bucs fans have already started making their Christmas list, checking it twice, and are asking for Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and others. But instead of Santa Clause, Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask are the ones that came to town this time around. Do they have a shot to stick around? Let’s break it down.

Baker Mayfield Has Experience And Upside To Be Bucs’ QB Long-Term

Baker Mayfield is the newest buzz in Tampa Bay, and there is plenty to like about bringing him into the mix. The Bucs got him on a cheap, one-year prove-it deal, and he has much to prove.

For him, this is his last chance to prove himself as a starting quarterback in this league. Back when he signed in March, he spoke about how this opportunity could finally be the stability he’s long been searching for.

“I think anytime you look at some of the quarterbacks that have had a lot of success, you look at the stability they’ve had,” Mayfield said then. “Unfortunately, I haven’t had that, but that’s not all on everybody else. I haven’t played to the best I’m capable of — I’ve had flashes of that, I know that. I’m just eager to have this next opportunity to see what it could become.”

After being the first overall pick by Cleveland, he had a promising start to his career. For everything he accomplished to bring the Browns to the playoffs, it has been forgotten in the past calendar year.

After being unceremoniously dumped by the Browns so they could bring in Deshaun Watson, Mayfield struggled with the Carolina Panthers before being released. He was claimed by the Los Angeles Rams and played better, but he was a stopgap option to finish the season, as the team has Matthew Stafford returning.

On a more positive note, he is still only 28 and has a playoff win under his belt from Cleveland’s 2020 season. If he can return to being the guy he was that year, the Bucs may choose to keep him around instead of drafting a successor. If the team finishes with the same record they did last year, they won’t be able to draft Williams or Maye, anyway.

But that should not be considered a death knell for the Bucs. The Seahawks felt comfortable investing in Geno Smith long-term after his career season, and Mayfield arguably brings more upside to the table.

He has the pedigree and talent, but it has been hard for him to put it all together. Now with the best collection of weapons he’s had and an energetic offensive coordinator who has learned a thing or two from his 13 seasons in Seattle, don’t write off Mayfield just yet.

Don’t Count Kyle Trask Out Yet, Either

And don’t forget about Kyle Trask in the quarterback race. Nothing is set in stone for all of the talk and predictions of Mayfield being the starter. Yes, Trask has yet to start an NFL game, and he spent most of last season as a game day inactive behind Brady and Blaine Gabbert.

Behind the scenes, however, Bowles has praised him for constantly working on getting better and seeing him on the practice field always throwing the ball around. This off-season, he has grown more comfortable stepping up and being confident in his throws and the windows he has to fit the ball in.

It is a make-or-break year for him, but with his first true chance to get true playing time in the NFL, he can shine under the Florida sun again, similar to what he did while with the Gators.

By most accounts, guys enjoy playing with and learning from Trask, including top pick Anthony Richardson. He has said all the right things and is excited about the possibility of being a starter.

“I’m very, very excited about this new offense,” Trask said in April. “I’m loving every part of it so far, and if you look back to what they were able to do in Seattle last year, it’s a very quarterback-friendly offense.

“I think that’s going to be very good for the people in this building. It’s going to be a very young team, a lot of new faces, so it’s going to be very important for us to have, not necessarily a simpler system, but a system that allows us to play fast and play confidently.”

So Bucs fans, have some optimism in the two quarterbacks already on the team until they prove they can’t do an effective job. They still have a few months to compete and bring the best out of one another.

Compared to other rosters around the league, few could provide the level of talent and opportunity to surround a new quarterback with like the Bucs can. If the team has a solid season, one of them has the chance to stick around and perhaps one day become one of the best quarterbacks Tampa Bay has ever had. It’s not a long and glorious list after all.