Baker Mayfield isn’t going to be lumped in with Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen when the conversation turns to the NFL’s most dangerous rushing quarterbacks. That part is obvious. What’s becoming harder to ignore is how slippery Mayfield has become for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The quarterback’s value isn’t just in the yards he picks up when he takes off. It’s in what happens before a play dies. Daniel Griffis recently dug into which quarterbacks do the best job of avoiding sacks and limiting the damage when pressure arrives, and the numbers line up with what’s been showing up on film since Mayfield got to Tampa Bay: bringing him down is not a simple task.
One metric in that work, pressure-to-sack percentage, shows how often pressure actually turns into a sack and helps separate what an offensive line gives up from what a quarterback can escape on his own. That matters because sacks can wreck a drive. Griffis found that from 2020-24, a team’s chances of scoring on a drive fell from 41.2% to 23.3% when it allowed at least one sack.
Mayfield has made a living out of turning those ugly moments into something workable. He slips away, keeps the play alive and salvages possessions that look lost at first glance. For Tampa Bay, that has become a real part of the offense, not just a nice bonus.
The production shows it. Mayfield posted a career-high 382 rushing yards in 2025 and averaged 7.0 yards per attempt.
He also finished with 27 rushing first downs, which means nearly half of his 55 carries moved the chains. And his ability to make defenders miss stands out even more.
PFF credited him with 19 missed tackles forced on scrambles last season, second among NFL quarterbacks behind only Allen. He also ranked among the league’s best quarterbacks in yards after contact per scramble attempt.
What makes Mayfield different is that he’s not winning with top-end speed. He’s winning with movement, toughness and balance.
He can get out of the first wave of pressure, absorb contact and still stay upright long enough to create something out of chaos. Over his three seasons in Tampa Bay, that has shown up in all kinds of broken-pocket plays: ducking under rushers, spinning free and somehow surviving collapse.
The Buccaneers would still prefer their quarterback not absorb unnecessary punishment, especially after Mayfield was sacked 36 times last season. But the ability to escape pressure gives Tampa Bay something that doesn’t always show up in passing numbers. Mayfield may never wear the dual-threat label comfortably, but his elusiveness has become too consistent to dismiss.
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Bucs Fans Have A Rookie Worth Watching In This Award Race
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Preseason buzz can help build a case, but it does not guarantee a fast start once the regular season begins, and that uncertainty is part of what makes this race worth watching. Bailey has the offseason momentum and other names are sitting near the top of the board, but Sanders gives the Buccaneers a player whose progress could make the award conversation more interesting if he can translate camp and preseason attention into real production. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Suddenly Have A Real Week 1 Linebacker Decision
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SirVocea Dennis is still in the mix, which keeps the door open and the competition real for Tampa Bay as it sorts out the middle of its defense. For a unit that wants dependable play and speed at linebacker, Trotters early push has turned this into one of the more notable decisions left on the board before the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Cap Picture Gets Tougher With Cody Mauch Up Next
The Buccaneers salary-cap picture keeps getting more complicated, and PewterReportTV is leaning into the conversation with a new video series built around it. Bucs Cap Convo brings in salary cap expert Josh Queipo to break down where Tampa Bay stands financially, with the latest episode focusing on guard Cody Mauch and the way his development is starting to shape the teams future decisions.
Mauchs next contract situation is part of a larger puzzle the Buccaneers have been working through, one that also includes names like Yaya Diaby, Vita Vea and Chris Godwin Jr. For a team trying to keep its core together while managing the books carefully, those talks matter, and Queipos analysis is aimed at showing how one looming decision can ripple through the rest of the roster-building process. [Read more 🡒]