There’s been a lot of late bloomers throughout the National Football League’s 105 years of history, but none have been as notable as Baker Mayfield, at least in recent times. After spending the early years of his career with some of the worst franchises possible, namely the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers, he’s now found his stride with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Since joining Tampa in 2023, Mayfield has helped to deliver a pair of consecutive NFC South titles, and thanks to a heroic effort in Week 6, he’s now well on his way to securing a third. Throughout the first month and a half of the 2025 regular season, Mayfield has guided the Buccaneers to a 5-1 start while throwing for 1,539 passing yards and 12 touchdowns.
Even before he was able to vanquish the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday, he was already ranked inside the top five in terms of both passing yards and TDs. Throw in an improved 5-1 record, and suffice it to say, many are calling for him to be inserted into the MVP conversation.
Baker Mayfield should be a LEGITIMATE candidate for MVP.
Lock him into the race. It’s been pure entertainment watching him play this season: pic.twitter.com/spgzTIUku2
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) October 12, 2025
To be fair, even if the fans haven’t been willing to show him some more respect, the oddsmakers out in Las Vegas certainly have. Prior to his Sunday showcase against the 49ers, Mayfield was sporting the third-shortest MVP odds of any player in the league.
BetMGM was offering +750 on him just hours before kick off, with only Patrick Mahomes (+450) and Josh Allen (+140) being listed ahead of him. In fact, those were the only three quarterbacks who were sporting MVP odds of less than +1000 heading into the weekend.
Considering that Mayfield was able to put himself in some rather elite company this weekend, those odds may be deserved as well. According to NFL on CBS, only three quarterbacks in NFL history have managed to throw for 80 or more touchdowns in their first 40 starts with a new franchise.
Those three quarterbacks? Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Baker Mayfield. Brady famously did so with the same franchise as Baker, while Manning was able to accomplish the same feat with the Denver Broncos back in 2012 and 2013.
Nevertheless, looking back on the past doesn’t put wins on the table today, and that’s all that Mayfield seems to be concerned with. Unfortunately for him, however, another win might not be as easy to come by in Week 7.
Mayfield, along with the rest of his crew, will be tasked with wrangling a Detroit Lions offense that just so happens to be the highest scoring one in all of professional football. Given the Buccaneers’ recent struggles up front, that’ll certainly be easier said than done.
But then again, if there’s anyone who is capable of boat racing Jared Goff’s unit, it’s the gunslinger from Austin, Texas.
