Bucs expecting Baker Mayfield to play in crucial game against Panthers
Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers walks off the field after the game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium on December 31, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, Fla. - Sore ribs aren't stopping Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield from preparing for the Carolina Panthers.
Mayfield pushed through some discomfort to get ready for his biggest game as a Buc. His teammate Luke Goedeke expects No. 6 to be in the huddle on Sunday, saying there's nothing that is going to hold him out of this game.
"No, absolutely not," said Goedeke. "Everyone plans on him playing as well and everything. I think you'd have to take him off a shield before he'd come off the field."
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This isn't the first time that Mayfield has had to play in pain. He's shown his toughness multiple times this season and made a lasting impression on his teammates.
Mayfield is on pace for a career year. He's already thrown the most yards in a season, touchdowns and tied his best quarterback rating. He's been more impressive than the Bucs anticipated.
"He’s a much cooler guy than I thought he was, that’s like the main thing," Mike Evans said. "I always knew he was a really talented player, knew he was tough, knew he played with a lot of energy, mobile, and all of those things. But I’ve come to find out he’s an unbelievable teammate."
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"He bounces back with the right mentality," Dave Canales said. "His ability to battle through a couple of things that have happened to him this year."
Mayfield has a million reasons to play on Sunday. A win over the Panthers earns him a $1 million bonus for leading the Bucs to a division title. It would cap off one of his best regular seasons in his career.
Signing with the Bucs has been a career changer for Mayfield.
"It’s meant the world to me just to be able to be in a stable place, to be the best version of myself [and] to [do] what they’ve enabled me to do," Mayfield said. "The organization, the staff, our locker room – it’s just a special place, so I’ve truly appreciated it. I hope the guys know that. I try to reflect that with just who I am every day coming to work, bringing energy and passion into it. It’s been great for me, but yeah, [we’re] not done yet."
If Mayfield can throw two more touchdown passes and no interceptions, he would be the first Bucs quarterback in team history with 30 touchdowns and 10 for fewer interceptions. Something even Tom Brady didn't achieve.