QUESTION: It gained’t occur as a result of Baker Mayfield isn’t wired this fashion, however what do you assume fan response in direction of Mayfield could be if he held out for an extension? May anybody blame him if he did?
ANSWER: It is a nice query, and to be clear, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield has not given any indication that he would maintain out of coaching camp over contract extension talks. That is what Mayfield mentioned initially in regards to the contract negotiations again on June 5 at his youth soccer camp in Tampa.
“The contract stuff – it’s happening, it’s starting – talks and whatnot,” Mayfield started. “Not anywhere close to what we were thinking. Would love to be here long term, but as of right now that’s not exactly the case. But I’m under contract for 2026. The guys in that locker room and the staff know that I’m still going to be me. I’m still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl. To me, that’s the priority. Everything else will take care of itself.”
Mayfield continued.
“Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done, but they know my deadline,” Mayfield mentioned. As quickly as coaching camp begins, we’re not doing any contract stuff. It’s all ball. It’s lower than me when that will get accomplished by. Hopefully earlier than that, but when not – nonetheless going to have yr.”
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Mayfield can’t “have a good year” if he’s holding out and on the sidelines. So if he doesn’t have an extension in place I – and the staff – count on him to go well with up and play this yr, doing so at a really excessive degree as a result of his motivation for an enormous new contract. Plus, Mayfield mentioned that he and the staff are searching for some widespread floor in current feedback at his Oklahoma soccer camp, which is an efficient signal.
The Bucs have a precedent of creating gamers over the age of 30 play out their contract years earlier than signing them to an extension. That occurred for years with former linebacker Lavonte David, and most just lately twice with former broad receiver Mike Evans in 2023 on the age of 30 and once more in 2025 on the age of 32.
The Bucs even made Professional Bowl security Antoine Winfield Jr. play out his contract yr and he balled out and had an All-Professional season in 2023. Mayfield noticed the staff make Winfield the highest-paid defensive again within the NFL for a minute, in addition to seeing how pretty the group handled Evans with two truthful market offers in 2023 and the next provide than the 49ers signed him for this offseason.
So if Mayfield has to play out his contract yr I believe he’ll accomplish that understanding that the staff will deal with him very pretty when the 2 sides reconvene talks after the 2026 season and previous to free company. However to reply your query, I believe there could be some fan backlash if Mayfield held out – primarily because of the rising excessive expectations for the Bucs this season.
There’s a small minority of Tampa Bay followers that aren’t fairly bought on Mayfield but – primarily as a result of his play final yr and the truth that he’s 1-2 in playoff video games in crimson and pewter. In order that phase of the fan base could be the primary to get upset a couple of coaching camp holdout. If a attainable holdout lingered into the season as a result of an deadlock in negotiations that would sure derail the staff’s possibilities for fulfillment in 2026, and I believe an increasing number of followers would activate Mayfield in that occasion. However once more, I don’t see Mayfield holding out in any respect.
QUESTION: What does Baker Mayfield need to do to show to this deranged fan base that he’s the best QB in franchise historical past?
ANSWER: Nicely, in the end it’s win a Tremendous Bowl. I believe most Bucs followers would think about Mayfield to be the third-best quarterback in franchise historical past behind Tom Brady and Brad Johnson – each of whom gained Tremendous Bowls in Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2002, respectively. Though he was solely right here for 3 seasons from 2020-22, Brady grew to become the primary Bucs QB to be named a Tremendous Bowl MVP in 2020 and he additionally helped lead Tampa Bay to a franchise-best 13 win season in 2021.
Brady additionally set the only season report for many touchdowns in a season with 43 throughout the 2021 marketing campaign. He’ll doubtless be inducted into the Bucs Ring of Honor for these honors plus the excellence of being probably the most profitable QB in staff historical past within the playoffs with a 5-1 report.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Each Brady and Johnson made a Professional Bowl in Tampa Bay, however satirically, Mayfield is the one QB in franchise historical past to make two Professional Bowls in 2023 and 2024. So he’s bought that going for him. And the extra yardage and touchdowns that Mayfield throws for and the extra wins he racks up within the course of, the extra it helps his trigger in presumably passing Johnson for QB2 on the all-time checklist. But whereas Brady gained 13 video games in 2021 and 11 in 2020, and Johnson gained 12 video games in 2002, Mayfield’s win ceiling in Tampa Bay is at the moment at 10, so he’ll have to interrupt via that, too.
Mayfield must be as profitable as Brady and Johnson had been within the postseason first, and in the end ship a Lombardi Trophy within the coming years. It’s not out of the query for Mayfield to complete his profession as the perfect QB in Tampa Bay historical past if he wins a Tremendous Bowl and continues to climb the report books with a number of extra profitable seasons below middle. And naturally if Mayfield wins two Tremendous Bowls that will cement his place as the perfect to ever do it with the Bucs, too.
QUESTION: How would you are feeling in regards to the Bucs amending their all pewter uniforms by including crimson pants. Principally a reversal of their conventional ones.
ANSWER: I don’t have an important creativeness on the subject of visualizing issues. Like I can’t have a look at an empty room and actually visualize the place stuff would go with out truly placing furnishings in it and seeing the way it all matches firsthand. So fortunately we have now AI to assist me manifest your suggestion of modifying the all-pewter uniforms by switching out the pewter pants for crimson pants.
This will not be precisely what you’re pondering when it comes to the main points of the uniform, however I took an image of Chris Godwin from the 2021 season within the all-pewter uniform and I put it into Chat GPT and this was the end result.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
It’s not a foul variant, however I believe I choose the pewter helmet, pewter jersey and pewter pants combo higher. What do you assume?
I’ll say whereas the ugly uniforms that the Bucs wore from 2014-2019 with the alarm clock font had been certainly hideous, I form of appreciated the all-red colour rush uniforms the staff wore now and again throughout that point. That look was truly higher than their common uniforms throughout the Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter eras.
So I took the identical Godwin image and went with a red-on-red uniform in Chat GPT to see what that variant would seem like. What do you concentrate on this model, Bucs followers? I’m undecided I prefer it higher than the all-pewter look, however it’s form of attention-grabbing.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
QUESTION: Heard numerous rumblings about Gene Deckerhoff stepping into to the Bucs Ring of Honor. Do you assume that’s attainable? I could also be alone on this pondering, however I really feel the Bucs Ring of Honor must be for individuals who had a direct affect on the staff that takes the sphere. Wouldn’t it be a greater honor to call the press field or one thing after Deckerhoff?
ANSWER: I perceive your level and there’s some validity to it. If the staff doesn’t induct legendary broadcaster Gene Deckerhoff into the Ring of Honor that can in the end the explanation why – as a result of he didn’t have a direct impact on what occurred on the sphere to create success for the staff. Deceased proprietor Malcolm Glazer, former coaches John McKay, Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and Bruce Arians and former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin are the non-players who’ve been inducted into the Bucs Ring of Honor. But all instantly had a hand in creating outcomes on the sphere.
If the Bucs do discover Deckerhoff worthy of the Ring of Honor, they need to not delay in inducting him and will do it this yr since he retired after 37 years because the legendary play-by-play announcer on the Bucs Radio Community. Deckerhoff is 81, and the Bucs created a precedent for rapid induction with Arians after he retired in 2022 on the age of 70. The staff inducted Kiffin into the Ring of Honor simply in time in 2021 on the age of 81. Kiffin handed away three years later on the age of 84.
Gene Deckerhoff – Picture courtesy of the Buccaneers
Naming the radio sales space on the stadium after Deckerhoff appears legitimate and will occur. However that simply appears to be too small of a gesture for such a legendary broadcaster who served the staff’s fan base for almost 4 many years. It is going to be attention-grabbing to see what occurs with Deckerhoff and the way the staff elects to honor his legacy.
QUESTION: As the present roster is constructed which participant or gamers, in your opinion, are Bucs Ring of Honor locks? Right here’s a follow-up query: who do you assume will get within the ROH this season?
ANSWER: On the present Tampa Bay roster I believe broad receiver Chris Godwin and left sort out Tristan Wirfs are absolute locks to get into the Bucs Ring of Honor. Godwin is the second-best receiver in staff historical past behind Mike Evans, who can also be a lock, along with newly retired linebacker Lavonte David. Wirfs, a five-time Professional Bowler and a three-time All-Professional, is probably the most embellished offensive lineman in franchise historical past.
So these 4 gamers, along with former QB Tom Brady, are certainties on the subject of their names being inducted into the partitions at Raymond James Stadium inside the subsequent couple of years. The staff usually inducts one participant at a time, in order that’s 5 years value of Ring of Honor inductees proper there.
Bucs WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and former QB Tom Brady – Picture by: USA Right now
I don’t know if there are another Buccaneers gamers that will be locks for the Ring of Honor proper now. I believe Antoine Winfield Jr. wants a couple of extra Professional Bowls to be thought-about, though him having a Tremendous Bowl ring actually helps. Former defensive sort out Gerald McCoy is a six-time Professional Bowler, however was by no means on a Tampa Bay playoff staff, and there aren’t any Ring of Honor members who didn’t play within the postseason.
As for different attainable members who may get some consideration, I’m wondering if Shaq Barrett or Ali Marpet would make the minimize. Barrett was a two-time Professional Bowler who helped the Bucs win Tremendous Bowl LV, and he set the franchise report for many sacks in a season with 19.5 in 2019. Marpet is taken into account to be the perfect guard in franchise historical past regardless of solely making one Professional Bowl. It will be robust to justify placing him in whereas former middle Tony Mayberry was the primary offensive lineman in staff historical past to make a Professional Bowl, and he was probably the most embellished Bucs O-lineman with three Professional Bowls earlier than Wirfs got here alongside.
As for this yr, I’m hoping that former linebacker Hardy Nickerson, a five-time Professional Bowler, will get into the Ring of Honor. His induction is lengthy overdue and he helped flip the franchise round because the chief of the Bucs protection within the Tony Dungy-Monte Kiffin period earlier than Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Derrick Brooks developed into leaders.
If not Nickerson, then I might see the staff induct both Brady, who was inducted into New England’s Ring of Honor final yr, or radio play-by-play legend Gene Deckerhoff. At 81, if Deckerhoff, who retired after 37 seasons within the sales space, goes to be inducted it ought to occur instantly given his age as a senior citizen.
