Buccaneers Discuss Baker Mayfield Change: 'Not Trying To Limit Him'

The rise of Baker Mayfield as a top-tier quarterback since arriving with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been nothing short of superb and a feel-good story if there ever was one.

Still, despite two Pro Bowl seasons, a playoff win and coming off a 4,500-yard, 41-touchdown year last season, there are some skeptics of Mayfield entering 2025.

Why? The interceptions, with Baker having 16 last season, as his gunslinging mentality paved that way for the touchdowns, also got him and his team into trouble.

But you wear that as part of the Mayfield experience.

And for head coach Todd Bowles, he isn't about to try to change Baker, although he does want those interception numbers to come down.

"Yeah, he's definitely got to play his game," Bowles said. "We're not trying to limit him as far as playing his game. We just got to be smarter with a few more decisions going that way forward. But he throws a lot of touchdowns. He makes a lot of plays for us. We just want to cut that interception ratio down."

The Buccaneers and Mayfield will enter the new season with high expectations for not only playoff football, but potentially more, given the roster that's been assembled.

With an offense that could easily be seen as one of the best in football on paper, and what Tampa Bay hopes is an improved defense, the Buccaneers might just have eyes for the Super Bowl.

In truth, the franchise will go as far as Baker takes them, and if he is to take this team to the postseason and beyond, yes, the interceptions will have to come down, but Baker being Baker is what will get them to the place they want to go.