Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield made it clear that the Buccaneers have a Bucs-against-the-world mentality coming into the season. Mayfield told reporters that he has seen a lot of the projections around the team and that he feels they are going to shock the world.
“I think we’re going to shock a lot of people this year,” Mayfield said when asked if he is excited to play on the road. Mayfield noted that he expects to go into other teams’ stadiums and surprise them with how good they are.
When asked why he feels so excited about having that chance to shock people, he noted that he has seen the record projections and that most are anticipating a losing season. To that, he had a two-word response: We’ll see.
Mayfield shrugged and moved on from there.
It is clear that Mayfield has a feeling that the sentiment around Tampa Bay and the actual play of the team are different. The Bucs are healthier this year, which could lead to the team being closer to the one that started 6-3 and less like the one that finished 2-6.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Vows to Shock the World in 2026
GettyBuccaneers QB Baker Mayfield
This is not the first time that Mayfield has expressed a bit of cockiness when discussing the Bucs this year. When he told the team he was going to shut down contract negotiations, he sent them a warning as well.
He told the Bucs front office that he is going to play really well in 2026, and that his play will make it tougher for the team to keep him due to his potential new salary demands.
“If you’ve waited this long to take care of your franchise quarterback, that’s too bad because it’s only going to get worse from here,” Mayfield said. “I’m going to have a really good year. That’s the business side of it.”
Now, the warning is for the media and the rest of the NFL. If they are still sleeping on the Bucs, it is not because Mayfield is not warning them.
Buccaneers Expect to Be Healthy in 2026
One of the reasons for Mayfield to be excited is the overall health of the team. Everyone will point to Mayfield playing through an injury as the main reason the team fell apart. That is true, but the rest of the team was banged up as well.
Rookie Emeka Egbuka hurt his hamstring and was never quite the same. Mike Evans missed a good chunk of the year, and Bucky Irving had issues throughout the season as his touches decreased.
Worse than that, the offensive line never found its footing. Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedecke, and Ben Bredeson all missed some time. Cody Mauch missed nearly the entire season. Even Graham Barton split time between left tackle and center.
All of this appears to be settled now. The team does not have any major injuries, and they appear to be heading into the regular season ready to show what they were expected to do a year prior. If the team that started 6-3 stays healthy, they could be dangerous.
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