Rival executives rave about Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield amid MVP talk

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was mentioned as a possible sleeper MVP candidate before he guided his club to five wins in six games to start the season. 

For a piece published on Tuesday, multiple NFL executives spoke with Jeff Howe of The Athletic about how Mayfield is performing "at a franchise-(caliber) level" this fall. 

Buccaneers are "never out of a game" with Baker Mayfield

"His ability to extend plays, to throw on the move, to locate guys, the competitive energy he brings to that roster. They’re never out of a game," one executive said about Mayfield. "He’s freaking hot right now in terms of ball placement, accuracy, seeing the field. He still has some turnover-worthy moments, but he’s not putting the ball in harm’s way like he has in the past. He’s making better decisions. He’s got really good command of their scheme. He’s super resilient. He is totally in command of what he’s doing."

Mayfield led the Buccaneers to comeback wins four times across the season's opening five weeks before he was able to use the victory formation against the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday. According to ESPN stats, he enters Week 7 ranked sixth in the league among qualified players with a 108.5 passer rating, eighth with a 71.1 adjusted QBR, fourth with 1,539 passing yards and tied for third with 12 passing touchdowns. 

Versus the 49ers, the Buccaneers were without wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan before star rookie Emeka Egbuka went down with a hamstring injury. That didn't stop Mayfield from passing for 256 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions in a 30-19 win. 

"That’s the most impressive thing," the previously mentioned executive added. "That shows he’s got complete command of the offense. It doesn’t matter who’s in there because he knows how to find the answers and where to go with the ball."

Were Browns, Panthers wrong to give up on Baker Mayfield?

In the summer of 2024, Mayfield admitted that he felt "like a piece of dirty laundry" after both the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers gave up on him in 2022. As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 30-year-old third among the betting favorites at +350 odds to claim the MVP Award for the ongoing season. 

"He’s playing like a guy who is confident in who he is on and off the field," another executive said about Mayfield. "A guy who’s failed and has been to the lowest of the lows and has come back from that to be able to play at a high level, that’s very empowering. He never gets to this point if he stays in Cleveland, Carolina or anywhere else. He got to this point because of what he went through, and he happened to be the type of person who changed his mindset and approach instead of letting it ruin him."

On Tuesday, ESPN BET had the Buccaneers as 5.5-point underdogs for their matchup at the Detroit Lions (4-2) on Oct. 20. It sounds like at least some league executives think bettors shouldn't count Mayfield out regarding the contest held at Detroit's Ford Field.

"He’s becoming that (elite closer) because of his ability to consistently make something out of nothing," yet another executive said about Mayfield. "You can have him dead to rights, and he still makes plays. He’s one of the best off-schedule QBs in the entire league. He might be the best."