Baker

Mayfield

Caley, another on the Sean McVay coaching tree, is also in the running for the Texans’ OC gig. Caley has spent the past two seasons under McVay in LA after serving multiple offensive roles for the Patriots from 2015 to 2022. Tampa is looking to fill their offensive coordinator opening after Liam Coen reneged on a contract extension to take the Jacksonville head coaching job.

The Rams-to-Tampa pipeline could continue if Ragone lands the Bucs OC job. Liam Coen, who departed Tampa for the head coaching job in Jacksonville, was LA’s offensive coordinator before his Bucs stint. Ragone was the Falcons offensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023 under head coach Arthur Smith. Atlanta’s offense never finished higher than 20th in total points under Ragone.

It’s quite the turn of events, as Coen was widely expected to take the Jaguars head coaching job after Ben Johnson was signed by the Bears. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Coen’s new deal with Tampa will make him one of the NFL’s highest paid coordinators. Coen’s offense finished the 2024 season with the league’s fifth highest EPA per play and the third highest offensive success rate, trailing only Johnson’s Lions and the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens. Baker Mayfield thrived in Coen’s system, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2024. The Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud reports there “is no coach in waiting stipulation in his new contract similar to what the Patriots did with Jerod Mayo.” Coen remaining in Tampa is a big blow to Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville offense. Former Jets head coach Robert Saleh would seem to be the favorite to land the Jags head coaching job with Coen out of the picture.

Mayfield was efficient and effective through the air, but the Bucs didn’t have the ball much in this game. In the fourth quarter when the Bucs had a chance to pull away, Mayfield and wide receiver Jalen McMillan were not on the same page on a reverse, which led to a fumble charged to Mayfield and essentially gave the Commanders a late lead. Despite the playoff loss, it was another solid season for Mayfield in Tampa Bay as he threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns on a 71.4 percent completion rate during the regular season. He also rushed for 378 yards and three touchdowns, but he did lead the league with 16 interceptions, so that is something that he’s going to need to work on next year since those miscues cost the Bucs in the playoffs too.

Mayfield had been 0-43 for his career when trailing by 10 or more points, but gets his first win in a game that clinches the NFC South. The 29-year-old signal-caller also reached 40 touchdowns for the first time in his career with the pair of scoring passes with the biggest being a dart to Jalen McMillan giving the Bucs a 20-19 lead in the fourth quarter. Mayfield also was able to show off his underrated athleticism; converting several third downs with his feet. Mayfield and the Bucs will get a home game in the Wild Card round with the win.

Mayfield opened the game with a six-play, 70-yard drive that ended in a Mike Evans toss from two yards out. The ease with which Tampa Bay scored foreshadowed a long down for the Carolina defense. Mayfield led five consecutive scoring drives to start the game and scored on all but one of the eight drives he was on the field for. Even after Mayfield and the starters were pulled late in the game, the Tampa Bay backups rolled over the Panthers before kneeling the clock out in the red zone. Mayfield has had no issues putting up counting stats over the past month, though plenty of interceptions have come along for the ride. He took care of the ball versus the Panthers with no picks and just two sacks. If Mayfield plays like this in Week 18 against the Saints, Tampa Bay only needs an Atlanta loss to clinch the NFC South.

Mayfield and the Buccaneers played from behind throughout as they fought to maintain their one-game lead over the Falcons in the NFC South, ultimately coming up just short in a wild fourth quarter. Down nine points with seven minutes remaining, Mayfield drove the team to midfield before Jourdan Lewis wrestled the ball away from Jalen McMillan in the end zone for an interception. The Bucs would force a three-and-out, getting the ball back with under five minutes to play. Mayfield drove the team down the field in two minutes to bring the game within two points following a touchdown pass to Ryan Miller. Another three-and-out gave the ball back to the Buccaneers with 1:40 remaining to play. On the first play of the possession, Mayfield avoided a sack and completed a shuttle pass to running back Rachaad White, who saw the football pried from his grasped on the way to the ground to effectively end the game with a narrow two-point loss. The loss now shifts the division lead back to the Falcons with two games to play after the Buccaneers dropped both games to Atlanta this season. Up next for Mayfield and the Bucs are the Panthers at home in Week 17.

Mayfield’s knee injury appears to be in the rearview at this point. The fearless downfield passer should turn in a fantasy-friendly outing as the Buccaneers attempt to continue Mike Evans’ 1,000-yard-season streak. Mayfield is a borderline QB1/2.

After being listed as a DNP on Wednesday, Mayfield was upgraded to a full participant on Thursday. His upgrade with one practice left to go in the week should remove any concern for fantasy managers who thought his Week 16 availability might be in doubt, as we can safely assume that Mayfield will be ready to go on Sunday while hoping to lead the Buccaneers to a playoff berth. The Buccaneers will release their final injury report on Friday, but it sounds like Mayfield’s knee injury is a minor issue at this time.

We don’t know the capacity in which Mayfield practiced, but his return to the field is a good sign for his Week 16 outlook, regardless. With the Buccaneers in the thick of the playoff race and/or the NFC South divisional race, it’s hard to imagine Mayfield missing Sunday’s game against the Cowboys. We’ll have more clarity on Friday when the team’s final injury report is released, but Mayfield seems to be trending in the right direction.