Nobody who was going to take on the role of quarterback for the Bucs could ever step into the shoes and replace the aura of Tom Brady from the last three seasons. But if there was anybody that had the proper attitude and demeanor mixed in with his experience, Baker Mayfield would be the guy who wouldn’t crumble from the beginning.

To Baker Mayfield’s credit, he embraced joining Tampa head on. Before even winning the quarterback competition over Kyle Trask, Mayfield ingratiated himself with multiple Bucs players at different positions on each side of the football. Later on, he’d be named a team captain. There was plenty of reason to love playing in Tampa.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Then, the regular season hit and the Bucs went on a bit of a roller coaster. After starting the season 3-1, including a very important season-opening win against the Vikings and a demolishing of the rival Saints, the Bucs then proceeded to lose six of their next seven games and plummet down the standings.

However, with the season on the line, Tampa Bay has managed to win two games in a row to get to 6-7 and regain first place in the NFC South.

So… Does that make Baker Mayfield want to return for the Bucs as their quarterback next season? He answered that this week.

“I love it here,” Mayfield said. “That’s a big reason why I chose to come here – organization-wise, the team, the guys, everybody around. I’m having fun playing football. I’m enjoying that. That’s something that, if you get a chance to pick or choose, this is a good place to be.

“But I’m a firm believer that everything happens as it should and how it’s supposed to. Take care of business here and we will see what happens. To get to that point, winning games will help everything, so that’s where I’m at.”

Should Baker Mayfield Return To The Bucs?

To be fair about the whole situation, we have to look at it from all sides. Baker Mayfield picked the Bucs this season because it was the best situation for him to become a starter when his career was on the line. The Bucs needed an inexpensive signal-caller who could be functional after the credit card bill they’re still paying for Brady. It worked out for both sides.

Moving forward is a different story. While Baker Mayfield overall has been average, he’s clearly proved that he can be a starter in this league, or at least prominent backup. If you’re a team that has all the pieces and are just missing a quarterback, Mayfield can fill in if a team if still looking for an option at quarterback.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

The problem is, Mayfield hasn’t been consistent enough for any team to truly believe that he can be a long-term answer at quarterback. He’s had a 43.8 completion percentage in the last two games and his 62.6 completion rate for the season is 24th in the NFL. His average yards gained per passing attempt is a low 6.7 and his 225.7 passing yards per game is 19th in the league.

With a great quarterback class coming up, it benefits Tampa Bay much more to draft a quarterback this year and make them the starter or at least roll with Kyle Trask because you have him under contract and he’s another cheap option.

But on the flip the side of things, there are aspects of the game that Baker Mayfield has done well that may entice the Bucs to bring him back as a stopgap starter for one more season. What fans of the Bucs should love about him is his 20 touchdown passes to only eight interceptions ratio. His QB ratio of 89.7 is 17th in the league, but you know who he ranks better than? Derrek Carr (89.4), a brief appearance from Taylor Heinecke (84.2), Desmond Ridder (82.4) and Bryce Young (70.9).

Would the Bucs be crazy for getting rid of the best quarterback in the NFC South? Can they reload and also win the division at the same time?

Playoff Mentality Rest Of The Season

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

That conversation can happen whenever the Bucs’ season is over, but it will make for a very interesting offseason.

In the meantime, Mayfield has his focus on playing the Packers this week in a very important game. Tampa Bay wants to win the division, but a win over Green Bay would position the team really well for a playoff spot.

Because their season was in dire straights recently, every game has been a postseason game down the stretch.

“It’s the playoff mentality,” Mayfield said. “We’ve mentioned it, and it sounds a little bit corny, but that’s just how it is for us right now. It’s a playoff mentality. We’ve got to win to continue on to get to where we want to go. It’s a singular focus. It’s a good mindset to have to where you’re only worried about this play.

”How do we win this game? Find a way to do that and move on from there. Our only goal right now is to find a way to beat the Packers in Lambeau, go on from there, get to .500 and see where we can go.”