https://www.profootballrumors.com/2026/06/health-a-factor-in-baker-mayfield-extension-talks
On its face, people might wonder how health can be considered a factor dragging down value for a quarterback who has started 51 of a possible 51 regular season games behind center since joining the Buccaneers. While that’s true, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Mayfield has been the picture of health. In fact, just last year, he suffered a shoulder sprain in his non-throwing should that limited him but didn’t hold him out. Following the injury, the team would go on to lose four of its last six games to just barely miss the playoffs. The year before saw Mayfield play through an Achilles injury suffered in a Week 13 matchup.
The team has Super Bowl aspirations, but that ultimate goal will be extremely difficult to attain if the driver of their offense continues to blow tires down crucial stretches of the season. The Buccaneers see it as an aspect of the game that Mayfield tends to neglect. His aggressive, sometimes ill-advised scrambles over the years will continue to have greater and greater effects on his health as he gets older each season. Bowles told the media that, while Mayfield “makes some great scrambles…understanding how to get down and putting himself out of harm’s way” will be crucial to the team’s success moving forward.