ESPN has been hard at work ranking various positions before the start of the season. In their latest rankings, they have stirred the conversational pot by discussing quarterbacks.
You already know the names at the top of the list.
Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson remain the Mount Rushmore at the position, but just making it at No. 10 was Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield. While it might seem like a modest placement, it is a testament to Mayfield’s perseverance and performance that he has entered the conversation after spending the early 2020s bouncing between teams.
Baker Mayfield Is The Bucs’ Franchise QB – And It Is No Longer A Secret
Raiders quarterback Geno Smith once famously said, “They wrote me off, but I didn’t write back.”
Smith, once cast aside after a two-year run as a starter with the Jets, spent 2015-2021 as a backup before re-emerging with the Seahawks in 2022 when he proudly proclaimed that quote after a Week 1 win.
Baker Mayfield’s NFL story is one that tells a similar tale. After being “written off” by the Browns, discarded by the Panthers, and merely tolerated during a late-season cameo with the Rams, Mayfield joined the Bucs in 2023 looking to establish himself.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today
Tampa Bay was taking a chance on him on a one-year, prove-it deal as they were looking for their next franchise guy.
Turns out, Mayfield is that guy.
Entering year three, he is not only entrenched as the Bucs’ starter, but also earning national recognition. ESPN’s ranking of the top 10 NFL quarterbacks has solidified Mayfield as a legitimate top-tier QB, really for the first time since his promising 2018 rookie season.
The leap to get to this point wasn’t simply off hype. It was earned – with a franchise-record 4,500 passing yards in 2024, a 71.4% completion percentage, and 41 touchdown passes, which was tied for second-most in the NFL. In fact, many of his numbers were in line with the top quarterbacks in the game, and his 106.8 passer rating was the best by any Bucs quarterback not named Tom Brady.
Beyond the stat sheet, he led Tampa Bay to a fourth straight NFC South title through his gritty play that has elevated everyone who plays around him. Now, the league has noticed, with one NFL personnel evaluator noting all of his strongest attributes.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
“Fearless as a thrower and a runner,” the NFL personnel evaluator said. “He’s got on-field leadership where teammates want to support him. Much better arm than given credit for. Good mover in the pocket and can rush for yards. Attacks the third level of the defense. When he’s got time [in the pocket], he’s as good as almost anybody right now.”
With his play last season, I made the comparison that Mayfield is the modern-day Brett Favre as a gunslinging signal-caller who is not afraid to take risks, play through various ailments, and do whatever it took to win games and ignite his team.
The same personnel man agreed.
“He honestly reminds me of Favre a little bit as far as style of play. He’s got a moxie to him, like, ‘F— you, I’m on the attack.’ And defensive guys feel that presence.”
Baker Mayfield’s Play Justifies Him Being In Top NFL QBs Conversation
In a fun offseason conversation, Pewter Report discussed at length why Baker Mayfield’s play deserved to put him in the mix as a top NFL quarterback. It is hard to argue against Mayfield’s production and the vast improvements he has made in just a short amount of time.
Yes, there are the 16 interceptions from 2024 he has to cut down on entering 2025. Still, you can learn to live with it when the big plays far outweigh the misfires. Add in how Mayfield has matured, displays tightened mechanics, better diagnoses pressure looks pre-snap, and his success utilizing quick game, it is clear he runs the offense as a calculated, composed, and in command field general.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today
Those aren’t just compliments, but they reflect his evolution. After being doubted from the outside, those same doubters now have to contend with his results. He has done it all with a larger-than-life chip on his shoulder as he has gone from being a castoff to captain.
In many ways, being named a top 10 quarterback is validation that he belongs – not just in the league, but right in the middle of the conversation of the position’s best.
After years of doubt, detours, and dead ends, the question now is not whether Baker Mayfield can be a franchise quarterback anymore. It is how high he can still climb. And in Tampa Bay, with continuity, confidence, and a team built around him, who knows what the future holds?
