Why Baker Mayfield has been predicted to be in MVP conversation

A story produced by ESPN's Jenna Laine that was published on Wednesday morning detailed how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers believe quarterback Baker Mayfield can guide the club to the Super Bowl even though he is working with his third offensive coordinator in three seasons.

Later in the day, former NFL executive and current analyst Louis Riddick offered a huge prediction regarding what Mayfield could achieve while playing under new coordinator Josh Grizzard later this year. 

"This dude has hit his stride," Riddick said about Mayfield, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "He’s also a lesson for everyone who really wants to jump the gun and consider quarterbacks busts in year one and year two. It took Baker a minute, but he’s found it now. And don’t be surprised if, as Tampa maybe starts winning this year, this guy gets talked about [for MVP] if he has the kind of season he had a year ago."

Per Pro Football Reference stats, Mayfield finished the 2024 regular season ranked fourth in the NFL among qualified players with a 106.8 passer rating, third with an average of 264.7 passing yards per game and tied for second with 41 passing touchdowns while playing under former offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Coen became the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars this past winter. 

The Buccaneers ultimately promoted Grizzard from his role as the team's pass game coordinator instead of making an outside hire to replace Coen. According to Laine, Grizzard's offense is "very similar to the one Mayfield played in" when Coen was with Tampa Bay.

"As far as Grizzard's system," Laine wrote, "there's already a comfort level as he was the Bucs' pass game coordinator last year and was responsible for third down, where the Bucs' 50.9% conversion rate was best in the NFL." 

The Buccaneers haven't yet confirmed the statuses of wide receiver Chris Godwin (ankle) and All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs (knee) for Tampa Bay's Week 1 game at the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 7. That said, key playmakers such as veteran wideout Mike Evans, running back Mar'Keise "Bucky" Irving, tight end Cade Otton and promising rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka should be in the Bucs lineup in September. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Mayfield tied for eighth among the betting favorites at +2500 odds to claim MVP Award honors for the upcoming season. It sounds like Riddick thinks bettors may want to take a flyer on a Mayfield-related wager before Labor Day arrives.