In honor of Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield turning 30 on Monday, we asked our Pewter Reporters for their favorite Mayfield moment from his two years in Tampa Bay as the topic for this week’s PR Roundtable.

Scott Reynolds: Baker Mayfield’s First OTA Was An Eye-Opener

Baker Mayfield had gone from being the face of the franchise in Cleveland as the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft to a journeyman quarterback in the blink of an eye. In one calendar year Mayfield had one from the Browns, who had given up on him in favor of Deshaun Watson, to the Panthers, then to the Rams and then to the Bucs in the 2023 offseason. Needing a replacement for Tom Brady, who retired following the 2022 season, Tampa Bay signed Mayfield to compete with Kyle Trask, the team’s second-round pick in 2021, for the starting job.

When Mayfield took the field for his first OTA in Tampa Bay he donned his orange practice jersey and walked right past the Bucs offensive players clad in white jerseys. But instead of warming up with his new teammates on the offensive side of the calisthenics line, Mayfield opted to bury himself among the red jerseys of the defensive players. Mayfield inserted himself among the likes of defensive tackle Vita Vea and outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka among others to show the team that he not only wanted to be the starting quarterback in Tampa Bay, but also the leader of the entire team.

This wasn’t a stunt or a gimmick to try to win his new teammates over. This was a genuine outreach moment for a gritty quarterback who plays with a lineman’s mentality. That’s just who Baker Reagan Mayfield is as a person and as a football player. Mayfield took it upon himself to not just ingratiate himself with the likes of offensive stars like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Tristan Wirfs, but also with defensive stars like Vea, Lavonte David and Antoine Winfield Jr. from the start. That helped Mayfield quickly ascend to not only the role of Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback, but also become the heartbeat of the Buccaneers.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and NT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Matt Matera: Baker Mayfield Won Measuring Stick Game For Bucs vs. Chargers

When Tampa Bay defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 40-17 in Week 15 of the 2024 season, it was a culmination of Baker Mayfield’s time in Tampa Bay showing that he could win a big game. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows at first with the Bucs down 17-13 at halftime, but Mayfield and the team got it together and ripped off five scoring drives in a row in the second half for six straight scoring drives going back to their last drive of the second quarter.

Mayfield finished the game completing 22-of-27 passes for for 288 yards with four touchdowns and two rushing attempts for 25 yards and a long of 21. His overall passing rating was 135.3 against the playoff-bound Chargers. Mayfield threw three touchdowns in the second half, including a 57-yarder to Mike Evans and another one to Evans on a 35-yard scoring strike.

People will remember the big catch-and-run touchdown by Evans, but it was Mayfield’s ability to scramble and extend the play, followed by launching the ball to the open future Hall of Famer that kept play going. It was a great example of what Mayfield has brought to the Bucs – toughness, heart, grit, determination and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win. He was awarded NFC Offensive Player Of The Week for his efforts in that game.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

Bailey Adams: An Early Baker Mayfield Moment Set The Tone

By the time Tampa Bay took the field in Minnesota for their 2023 season opener, Baker Mayfield had already won over his new Tampa Bay teammates. But there was a moment in that game, a 20-17 upset win for the Bucs over the Vikings, that set the tone for what Mayfield would come to mean to the team going forward.  In the fourth quarter, Mayfield led a drive that would result in the go-ahead field goal by Chase McLaughlin. On that drive, Mayfield pulled the ball back for himself on an option and took it to the outside. The run only went for five yards, but along the way, Mayfield stiff-armed Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and told him to “get his weight up.”

It’s that type of edge and want-to that endears Mayfield to teammates, coaches and fans. It set the tone early for who the former No. 1 overall pick-turned-journeyman was going to be — the same guy he’d always been dating back to his days in Cleveland and at Oklahoma before that. Mayfield’s consistency in who he is could only help as the Bucs slid into midseason slumps both in 2023 and 2024. And it’s what makes him the right guy to lead the way as the team tries to take advantage of its Super Bowl window. 

It wasn’t one of his 69 passing touchdowns as a Buccaneer or even the most crucial moment in his first win with the team. But it’s what that “get your weight up, little boy” moment represented that makes it a top-tier Baker Mayfield moment during his first two seasons in Tampa Bay. 

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

Josh Queipo: The Bosa Stiff-Arm Was Iconic

San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa is one of the most feared defensive linemen in the NFL. Known for his strength and speed, Bosa is a human wrecking ball. With Bosa as an antagonist, all that is needed is a high-tension situation and a superhuman event. Check and check.

The Bucs, reeling from a three-game losing streak that had them under .500, were down 17-20 with less than two minutes left in the game needed a spark. Backed up on their own 37-yard line, facing fourth-and-7, Mayfield went full super saiyan. After dropping back and avoiding immediate pressure up the middle and stepping up into the pocket he finds Bosa bearing down on him for what would be a game-ending sack. But Mayfield had other plans.

Throwing a prolonged stiff-arm while running to the sideline, Mayfield showed incredible strength and presence of mind. He kept his eyes downfield looking for an opportunity to keep the drive alive. Ultimately, he found Sterling Shepard downfield and threw a catchable ball down the sideline. Rachaad White working the scramble drill was also in the area and made an acrobatic catch to convert the first down.

Mayfield has long cultivated an improvising, never-give-up reputation. It was on full display on that play as he practically willed his team back in the game while fending off the league’s highest paid defensive player, literally dragging Bosa. The Bucs would drive down to the 49ers 8-yard line and convert a field goal to tie the game. It was a clutch performance of the highest order. Watch Mayfield’s moment in the clip below.

Baker Mayfield turns 30 today! 🎈

Remember when he made one of the best plays Tom Brady had ever seen a Quarterback make? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/49MuF4j1ci

— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) April 14, 2025

Adam Slivon: Baker Mayfield Became Bucs’ Franchise QB At Lambeau Field

When Tampa Bay headed up to Lambeau Field in Week 15 of the 2023 season, the team was 6-7 and fighting to the finish to win the NFC South. Baker Mayfield was having a good season, but had yet to have a dominant performance that showcased he could be the long-term answer at quarterback. That all changed with his historic performance at the Frozen Tundra. Mayfield completed 22-of-28 passes for 381 passing yards and four touchdowns, leading the team to a dominant 34-20 win.

In the process, Mayfield became the first visiting quarterback to have a perfect 158.3 passer rating at Lambeau Field, and just the second quarterback ever (Aaron Rodgers is the other). Tampa Bay’s momentum carried into the next week back at home, beating the Jaguars 30-12 and ultimately ending the season 9-8 as the NFC South Champions. The veteran signal-caller’s big game was the first time he truly took over in red and pewter.

The rest became history after the season, with Mayfield re-signing on a three-year, $100 million deal and having an even better follow-up second year in Tampa Bay. But when you ask me what his defining Bucs’ moment is, I circle back to a must-win game where he absolutely lit it up and became the team’s franchise quarterback.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today