Bucs Have Cornered The Market On Finding Veteran Quarterbacks
March 28th, 2025
Helped save the Bucs.
Upon reading a story like this, Joe was triggered with vomit-induced flashbacks to 11 years ago.
This here site was six-years young. It was the throes of The Lost Decade. The Bucs were in the midst of having a winless season at home.
With Stewart McClown at quarterback, the Bucs were a godawful team run by a godawful defensive meathead. And in this particular home game, the Bucs were hosting a decent Vikings team also run by a defensive meathead.
It was horribly boring. It was turrible football. And it made Joe, for the only time since launching this here corner of the interwebs in 2008, seriously ponder getting out of the business. Joe couldn’t fathom spending 25 percent of his remaining life’s Sundays watching… THAT! Not even for money.
That’s how badly the Bucs had sunk. Joe had his fill of the tripe.
(Oddly enough, that was also the very same day and afternoon Joe decided to launch a daily post about then-Florida State quarterback, college football national champion and Heisman Trophy-winning Jameis Winston. Because if there was a Higher Authority, that guy would save Joe from ungodly boring and bad football.)
It was brutal being a Bucs fan in 2014.
Joe had this flashback upon reading a piece by Tom Blair of NFL.com. He listed the top-5 veteran quarterback additions since 2020.
Of those five, the Bucs had two! No kidding. Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield.
Baker Mayfield
ACQUIRED: March 2023, via a one-year, $4 million contract.Baker Mayfield might ultimately top out at pretty good — but that’s, uh, pretty good for a quarterback who worked with three head coaches and four offensive coordinators in his first four pro seasons with the Browns, then bounced through stopgap duty with the Panthers and Rams before landing in Tampa. The Bucs provided him with the most stability and the best supporting cast of his NFL career. Mayfield rewarded them by leading a pair of consecutive playoff trips — and, maybe even more importantly, saving them from having to transition from Tom Brady to Kyle Trask.Mayfield’s initial fall from grace was so severe that he might still seem faintly like a bust, at least for a former No 1 overall pick. But over the past two seasons in Tampa, he actually played better than most QBs drafted at that slot, ranking second among No. 1 overall draft picks in yards per attempt (7.5), third in passer rating (100.7) and fourth in TD-to-INT ratio (69:26). I don’t think the lesson here is that every failed high-profile prospect can be salvaged. But Mayfield’s resurgence does suggest it is important to value — or at least consider — how the overall picture might be impacting a quarterback’s progress in a given situation, and to think about what they might need to reach their potential.
Mayfield was indeed an excellent signing. Joe is confident many teams are kicking themselves in the arse for not signing Mayfield after the 2022 season.
The key here was Mayfield wanted to start — Los Angeles and Baltimore wanted him as a backup — and lo and behold, the Bucs had an opening on a playoff team
Of course, Mayfield succeeded Tom Brady, who may have been the greatest free agent signing of all time. Brady comes to town and the Bucs went from a laughingstock to a feared Super Bowl champion.
Tom Brady
ACQUIRED: March 2020, via a two-year, $50 million contract.Tom Brady rocketed even further into superhuman territory by winning it all one more time and providing two more strong years after that in Tampa. This acquisition does not really have anything to teach anyone but the team that lucks into giving Patrick Mahomes (or the equivalent living legend of tomorrow) a similar last shot at another ring. Go ahead and clip this blurb out to slide into a time capsule for 2035 or so. To that future team, I will say: If a multi-time Super Bowl champion who looks capable of playing at an elite level well into his 40s wants to sign with you, go for it.
It’s just wild to Joe to think a little over a decade ago things were so bleak. No way Joe thought at that time the Bucs would win another Super Bowl and would turn into a fourpeat NFC South champion.
But that’s what happens when you make two of the best quarterback signings of the decade.
Baker Reagan Mayfield film, broken down by @rondebarber đ pic.twitter.com/BXLveYD0Pw
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 27, 2025
March 28th, 2025 at 4:18 am
Glad you stuck around sir!
Even gladder that Brady decided to visit us here in Tampa for a few seasons. Is gladder a word Joe? The experts had him in the grave as I remember and he would surely fail here in Tampa. “Should have retired” and “has a dead arm” were some of the things I read.
Any mention of Arians sending the real clown home? Important to remember in all this me thinks.
Baker is showing all those “experts” who publicly and not so publicly wrote him off as washed. That they are truly ignorant. And should never be taken seriously again. This includes the Browns front office. BTW these same people wrote the Bucs off before during and after as well. Are these idiots still writing us off Joe?
Go Bucs!
March 28th, 2025 at 5:04 am
I was close too, Joe. Glad you stuck it out. You know the Rooneyâs had to have been considered a joke of an ownership group for decades or at least snakebit (Johnny Unitas⌠IYKYK). They finally got it right. I like to think that the Glazers are on a similar path. Excellent business owners who have learned how to be good stewards of an NFL franchise as well. The last few years have been fantastic and the window has a good chance of being open for several more. Canât wait to see what influx of new talent comes to the team next month.
March 28th, 2025 at 5:17 am
Who were the other 3 QBs? Just curious. Brad Johnson turned out pretty good for the Bucs, same with Jeff Garcia.
March 28th, 2025 at 6:07 am
I’ve never been close to throwing in the towel. I live for fall Sundays and I bleed orange…since 1976.
March 28th, 2025 at 7:28 am
Rod Munch is looking for his qbr charts…lol
Go bucs!!!!!!
March 28th, 2025 at 8:35 am
Competent GM and ownership that respects boundaries went a long way to making this qb market available to us. The supporting roster should keep us atop the division once again.
Speaking of which, anyone notice the over/under win totals coming out from one of the betting sites for the NFC South? We’re at 9.5, followed by Falcons (7.5), Panthers (6.5), and Saints (5.5). 9.5 seems light for us, not wildly off. Panthers seem way too high, that place is still a dumpster fire.
March 28th, 2025 at 8:44 am
The Dream Decade continuesâŚ
LFG!!!!!
March 28th, 2025 at 8:51 am
Any one who gets drafted by a 1-31 dysfunctional owner team will have a long and winding road to the top. Credit Bakers perseverance and Licht,s judgement.
March 28th, 2025 at 9:03 am
he’s gotten us to 2 playoff games & 1 playoff win…
not bad…
if baker can get his INTs under control we could have a SB win!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 28th, 2025 at 9:06 am
Top 5 NFL QB’s in no particular order: Burrow, Jackson, Allen, Mahomes, Mayfield.
Imagine the anti Baker crowd on these pages several years ago. They should be band from these pages forever. A few still exist and we know who they are. Will never let them forget.
March 28th, 2025 at 9:07 am
banned not band.
March 28th, 2025 at 9:25 am
Brady was not signed this decade.
March 28th, 2025 at 12:16 pm
Wow 813, your ignorance is staggering. Did you not see Mahomes won a superbowl with a 14 interception season?? A normal person would therefore think, well if 14 won a superbowl maybe interceptions aren’t the end all to winning football. But not you, you actually say if Baker could cut out 2 of his interceptions we could win a superbowl. D*** son you need to get checked out.
March 28th, 2025 at 4:35 pm
Love those clips and commentary from Rhonde. Great selection of plays. Yes indeed, we’re very fortunate to have Baker piloting the ship in Tampa Bay.
March 28th, 2025 at 5:56 pm
Man, Ronde sounds old (or just very tired). Good stuff though, Baker is definitely fun to watch.
As for the Bucs signing Brady and then following up with Mayfield, let’s just appreciate how lucky we are, as we know just how dark things can be…
March 28th, 2025 at 7:39 pm
That was an astounding article.
Yeah, brother, is it not more fun to write about a winning team…or at least a perennial division champion? Under Brady and Mayfield we have been much, much better. To be honest, I like reading the articles much, much better too…no matter how much I complain. God let’s you live longer if you complain a lot. LOL.
March 28th, 2025 at 9:17 pm
Baker you see that article amd the garbage there still talking about you. Wow this dude just canât respect he deserves. Haters, absolute haters in sports media. Keep receipts Baker. Hope your holding up a Lombardi one day so you can middle finger all these hater sports writers
March 28th, 2025 at 11:25 pm
And people called me crazy when I suggested Baker should come to Tampa, told me I was delusional and stupid for even suggesting something so absurd. and now those same people pretend they never said those things, and sound like oh “we always believed in Baker from the start” gotta love the Internet…..
Always have believed in Baker even after he left Cleveland, Cleveland did him dirty, Carolina never really got behind him,, there was a reason he went number #1 in the draft. Further more, people forget he led the browns 1 play away from beating the Chiefs in the playoffs during his Cleveland days…