Baker Mayfield Is In The Best Shape He’s Been “In A Long Time”

Baker Mayfield has woken up feeling dangerous in the past.

Now he looks the part as well.

That was one of the biggest takeaways upon seeing Mayfield leading his local youth football camp in Land O’ Lakes, Fla. this past weekend. While a handful of Bucs have noticeably transformed their body before the season – nose tackle Vita Vea, right guard Cody Mauch, and outside linebackers YaYa Diaby and Jose Ramirez to name a few – Tampa Bay’s quarterback has done the same and looks to have leaned out and lost a few pounds.

In his mind, he sees himself as being in great shape going into 2024 and is eager to show how he is a more polished signal-caller.

He May Be A Dad Now, But There Is No Dad Bod For Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield and his wife Emily welcomed a baby girl into the world on April 9th this year. But instead of packing on the pounds and having a dad bod, he believes that his offseason conditioning has allowed him to get into ideal shape.

Bucs C Graham Barton, QB Baker Mayfield and C Robert Hainsey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I definitely am in the best shape I’ve been in a long time,” Mayfield said. “I just found my routine, found a gym and some trainers that I really like and it’s important. You learn that throughout the process [and as] the years go on. Honestly being able to stay in one place throughout the offseason helps too. I found some great people to help me get to this point.”

It’s hard to argue that setting some roots has helped Mayfield settle in and focus solely on football. With the Bucs signing him to a three-year, $100 million deal, he is aiming to put together back-to-back quality seasons for the first time in his NFL career.

When asked further about what has helped him, the former No. 1 pick credited a recent golfing trip for preparing him for the hot Tampa Bay practices ahead.

“It’s been good,” Mayfield said of how his offseason conditioning has gone. “I’ll tell you what – I spent about five days in Lake Tahoe for that golf tournament, which is an unbelievable event. Just going up to the elevation, the mountains with no humidity, and then coming back here, it’s tough to get used to. But I feel good, I feel good with the conditioning and all that, now it’s just about making sure you hydrate in this heat and preparing yourself the right way.”

How Does Baker Mayfield Get Better In Year Two With Bucs?

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Not only has Baker Mayfield been preparing his body for this upcoming season, but he has also been mentally preparing by attempting to master offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s system. Although Mayfield largely exceeded expectations in year one with the Bucs, there are still some things he would like to improve upon heading into year two.

Just don’t expect him to lose his chip-on-the-shoulder mentality and energetic on-field personality.

“As I talked about at the end of the year, management at the line of scrimmage, putting us in the best position to have success when it comes to adjustments,” Mayfield said on how he can get better this year. “This system also allows you to do that. It might just be a different look of preparation, understanding these looks, ‘Okay, these are the calls I’m going to get to within the system.’ Take care of the ball as always, still having that fiery edge, and just being the same guy every single day for these guys, and for me, you can always improve on that.”

What will aid him in the goals he has is the fact that around him, there is plenty of continuity. While there will be an adjustment in going from Dave Canales to Coen, the systems are similar enough and the familiarity is there to expect less of the growing pains he and the offense had to start last season.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and OC Liam Coen – Photo by: USA Today

Personnel-wise, it is a group that has the same stockpile of weapons and a supporting cast that projects to be the best he’s had so far.

In his mind, the Bucs have all the pieces. Now it’s just about putting them together and building on the foundation that’s been set.

“It’ll help a ton,” Mayfield said about having continuity on offense. “I think we had a great offseason program. Everybody was learning the system with Liam [Coen], but I had a little bit of an introduction to it before and it is similar to Dave [Canales’] old system. The verbiage is different, all that.

“Continuity within that, for me, always helps out. Translating it from one year to the next, it’s just the knowledge, the experience, and the reps when it comes to the system or just reps with certain guys. That continuity can always improve – now it’s just about going out and doing it.”