Baker Mayfield’s offseason spotlight from Netflix’s Quarterback has brought plenty of attention his way, but not all of it has been flattering. Former Bucs running back LeSean McCoy took aim at the Tampa Bay quarterback on his “Speakeasy” show with Emmanuel Acho, arguing that Mayfield gets talked up more than he should.
McCoy, an All-Pro back who spent most of his career with the Eagles and Bills before closing things out with a Super Bowl on the Chiefs and another title with the Bucs in the 2020 season, made it clear he doesn’t view Mayfield as one of the league’s elite quarterbacks.
“Y’all blow people up like Baker Mayfield,” McCoy said. “Baker Mayfield has been above average for a very long time.
Every once in a while, he has a really good year that makes people like you all talk about him. He’s a little ass dude, right?
That somehow beat the odds as a walk-on, and then he gets picked first overall. I knew s**t was crazy when he was acting like he was Brett Favre [on draft day].”
He kept going, saying the league tends to overvalue quarterbacks like Mayfield and Sam Darnold while shortchanging players such as Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
“See, the problem is, when dudes are regular or above average, we want to hype ’em up,” McCoy said. “Y’all rather support and give love to guys like Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold but disrespect guys like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.”
The moment that really set McCoy off came from Quarterback, where Mayfield’s trash talk with Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell during the Bucs’ Week 4 home game against Philadelphia was shown in detail. Tampa Bay was trailing 24-6 at Raymond James Stadium when Mayfield and Mitchell exchanged words, including Mayfield asking, ‘Who are you?’
That back-and-forth seemed to light a fire under Mayfield. He answered with a 77-yard touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka and a 72-yard touchdown pass to Bucky Irving, helping the Bucs rally and trim the margin to 31-23. Philadelphia still finished the job, though, winning 31-25.
McCoy didn’t like Mayfield’s tone toward Mitchell, especially given how he viewed the matchup.
“So now, these dudes [that are] not on the same level, are hearing y’all talk about them, and they think and feel like they can come up there and say something to Quinyon Mitchell? Like ‘Who are you?’
One dude is like an All-Pro. One of the best at the position in the league.
The other guy [has] never been at, ever. He[Mayfield] gets a lot of alternate Pro Bowls.
So you’re asking a guy ‘Who are you?’
Mitchell’s résumé has grown quickly. He won a Super Bowl as rookie with the Eagles in 2024, made the All-Rookie Team, and later picked up first team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection in 2025.
Still, the timing of McCoy’s criticism doesn’t quite line up with the facts from that Week 4 game. Mitchell was not an All-Pro at the time, and Mayfield has said he borrowed the line from former Texans running back Arian Foster, framing the exchange as more of a joke than anything else.
For now, McCoy’s view of Mayfield is what it is. Whether that changes will likely come down to what Mayfield does next, with a bigger 2026 season and a deeper playoff run offering the clearest path to shifting the conversation.
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