Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans have a few legitimate reasons to gripe and be nervous about Baker Mayfield and his long-term status with the team. However, one area that fans cannot complain about at all is his desire to leave everything on the field.
Despite being far from the most mobile quarterback in the NFL, Mayfield leads all quarterbacks in yards after contact per rush attempt. He averages 3.8 yards after contact per attempt. Jayden Daniels and Malik Willis were tied for second at 3.7 yards.
No quarterback fights for every last yard as much as Mayfield, and that is hard to replace or get mad at.
Baker Mayfield is the Best Quarterback in the NFL at Yards After Contact
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
It is easier to appreciate the stat when you realize that Mayfield is 11th in rushing yards amongst quarterbacks in that time period. He is also tenth in rushing attempts.
Daniels has fewer attempts than Mayfield but more yards. Despite that, he is just behind him in yards after contact.
Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, and Lamar Jackson have more than double the number of yards as Mayfield on the ground. In the case of Allen, Hurts, and Fields, they are also thick quarterbacks who will fight for the last yard.
However, Hurts is only at 2.08, likely because the tush push hurts his after-contact numbers. Still, Allen is at 3.1 yards after contact, and Fields is at 3.2. Mayfield is picking up over half a yard every time he gets hit compared to these bigger quarterbacks.
Some of this comes down to his need to get those yards. Last year, he had 23 scrambles on third and fourth down. That is almost double the second most scrambles on those downs. Justin Herbert had 12, and Drake Maye had 11. So, Mayfield is always fighting to get to the sticks, and therefore, he is trying to fight off tackles more than the other quarterbacks. Most quarterbacks will scramble and slide or get down on first contact because they are turning a negative into a positive. Mayfield is fighting to make a play.
Bucs Must Put Less on Mayfield’s Shoulders in 2026
While this is a great mentality to have, it can come with its drawbacks. Mayfield played through multiple injuries down the stretch. He went from the MVP race to talks of being benched. The team went from 6-2 in the first eight games to 3-6 to finish the year.
Mayfield had a similar issue to end his Cleveland Browns tenure as well. During a contract year, he tried to play through an injury, and it cost him an extension with the team. As the Bucs mull over a new deal with Mayfield, the same thing could have cost him again.
Tampa Bay needs to keep Mayfield out of scenarios where he feels the need to scramble and create at the last moment. A change in offensive coordinator, an improved offensive line, and more trust in young skill players would help remedy that issue.
Mayfield rushing and creating after contract is great, but the number of times he does it has to go down if he wants to stay healthy enough to give the Bucs a chance.
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