Last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took one of the more interesting gambles in the league when they brought in former No.1 overall pick Baker Mayfield. The former Heisman Trophy winner had been unceremoniously dumped in Cleveland before flaming out in Carolina. His brief audition with the Rams at the end of 2022 convinced the Bucs to take a shot on the mercurial signal caller.
While all this was playing out, Tampa was preparing for the final season under contract for All-TIme franchise great Mike Evans. Long story short, both players succeeded in spectacular fashion, and the team brass has decided to put the band back together. For this article, we will look at how the return of both players helps stabilize the Tampa offense.
Baker Mayfield
As we discussed in the opening, the signing of Mayfield in 2022 was a gamble for the Buccaneers. Many on the outside saw this as a low-risk, high-reward gamble where the team was playing out some of the contracts assembled for the Tom Brady Super Bowl run. Few expected Mayfield to succeed in the manner he did.
Mayfield not only revived his career with Tampa but also set career highs across the board. He hit new high marks in nearly every metric you can think of. Mayfield immediately connected with his top targets, helping direct Evans and Chris Godwin to 1,000-yard campaigns. Mayfield even led the Bucs to a playoff win over the defending Conference Champion Philadelphia Eagles in a moment that must have been bittersweet for Browns fans.
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | TD% | Int | Int% | 1D | Succ% | Lng | Y/A | AY/A | Y/C | Y/G | Rate | QBR | Sk | Yds | Sk% | NY/A | ANY/A | 4QC | GWD | AV | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 23 | CLE | QB | 6 | 14 | 13 | 6-7-0 | 310 | 486 | 63.8 | 3725 | 27 | 5.6 | 14 | 2.9 | 171 | 46.0 | 71 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 12.0 | 266.1 | 93.7 | 51.2 | 25 | 173 | 4.9 | 6.95 | 6.77 | 3 | 4 | 10 | AP ORoY-2 |
| 2019 | 24 | CLE | QB | 6 | 16 | 16 | 6-10-0 | 317 | 534 | 59.4 | 3827 | 22 | 4.1 | 21 | 3.9 | 179 | 42.5 | 89 | 7.2 | 6.2 | 12.1 | 239.2 | 78.8 | 54.4 | 40 | 285 | 7.0 | 6.17 | 5.29 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| 2020 | 25 | CLE | QB | 6 | 16 | 16 | 11-5-0 | 305 | 486 | 62.8 | 3563 | 26 | 5.3 | 8 | 1.6 | 188 | 49.4 | 75 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 11.7 | 222.7 | 95.9 | 65.5 | 26 | 162 | 5.1 | 6.64 | 6.96 | 2 | 2 | 14 | |
| 2021 | 26 | CLE | QB | 6 | 14 | 14 | 6-8-0 | 253 | 418 | 60.5 | 3010 | 17 | 4.1 | 13 | 3.1 | 143 | 44.3 | 71 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 11.9 | 215.0 | 83.1 | 35.1 | 43 | 269 | 9.3 | 5.95 | 5.41 | 10 | |||
| 2022 | 27 | 2TM | QB | 12 | 10 | 2-8-0 | 201 | 335 | 60.0 | 2163 | 10 | 3.0 | 8 | 2.4 | 94 | 38.0 | 75 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 10.8 | 180.3 | 79.0 | 26.3 | 36 | 217 | 9.7 | 5.25 | 4.81 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| CAR | QB | 6 | 7 | 6 | 1-5-0 | 119 | 206 | 57.8 | 1313 | 6 | 2.9 | 6 | 2.9 | 49 | 36.0 | 75 | 6.4 | 5.6 | 11.0 | 187.6 | 74.4 | 19 | 126 | 8.4 | 5.28 | 4.61 | 3 | ||||||
| LAR | QB | 17 | 5 | 4 | 1-3-0 | 82 | 129 | 63.6 | 850 | 4 | 3.1 | 2 | 1.6 | 45 | 41.1 | 39 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 10.4 | 170.0 | 86.4 | 17 | 91 | 11.6 | 5.20 | 5.13 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| 2023* | 28 | TAM | QB | 6 | 17 | 17 | 9-8-0 | 364 | 566 | 64.3 | 4044 | 28 | 4.9 | 10 | 1.8 | 188 | 44.7 | 75 | 7.1 | 7.3 | 11.1 | 237.9 | 94.6 | 40 | 232 | 6.6 | 6.29 | 6.47 | 1 | 2 | 13 | AP CPoY-3, PB | |
| Career | 89 | 86 | 40-46-0 | 1750 | 2825 | 61.9 | 20332 | 130 | 4.6 | 74 | 2.6 | 963 | 44.4 | 89 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 11.6 | 228.4 | 88.1 | 210 | 1338 | 6.9 | 6.26 | 6.02 | 8 | 10 | 64 | ||||||
| 4 yrs | CLE | 60 | 59 | 29-30-0 | 1185 | 1924 | 61.6 | 14125 | 92 | 4.8 | 56 | 2.9 | 681 | 45.5 | 89 | 7.3 | 7.0 | 11.9 | 235.4 | 87.8 | 134 | 889 | 6.5 | 6.43 | 6.10 | 6 | 7 | 45 | |||||
| 1 yr | CAR | 7 | 6 | 1-5-0 | 119 | 206 | 57.8 | 1313 | 6 | 2.9 | 6 | 2.9 | 49 | 36.0 | 75 | 6.4 | 5.6 | 11.0 | 187.6 | 74.4 | 19 | 126 | 8.4 | 5.28 | 4.61 | 3 | |||||||
| 1 yr | LAR | 5 | 4 | 1-3-0 | 82 | 129 | 63.6 | 850 | 4 | 3.1 | 2 | 1.6 | 45 | 41.1 | 39 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 10.4 | 170.0 | 86.4 | 17 | 91 | 11.6 | 5.20 | 5.13 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| 1 yr | TAM | 17 | 17 | 9-8-0 | 364 | 566 | 64.3 | 4044 | 28 | 4.9 | 10 | 1.8 | 188 | 44.7 | 75 | 7.1 | 7.3 | 11.1 | 237.9 | 94.6 | 40 | 232 | 6.6 | 6.29 | 6.47 | 1 | 2 | 13 | |||||
Mayfield routinely displayed the confidence that helped him win the Heisman trophy and set NFL records as a rookie starter. With the proper weapons at his disposal, he could unleash his gifts properly. His report with Evans and Godwin was on display throughout the season.
Tampa Bay #Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield hits WR Mike Evans for the 40 yard touchdown pass! #NFL pic.twitter.com/2ImWKQsYKh
— Justin Time Sports (@JTIMESPORTS) October 22, 2023
Tampa Bay #Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield flips a pass fading back to Chris Godwin for the 23 yard dagger touchdown against the #Eagles!! #NFL pic.twitter.com/3ywZv1CSz8
— Justin Time Sports (@JTIMESPORTS) January 16, 2024
On the heels of his regular and post-season success, the Buccaneers front office rewarded Mayfield with a multi-year extension to keep him in Tampa for the next three years. This contract gave him some security but didn’t link the two sides together perpetually. The length of the contract will keep Mayfield on his toes and ensure that he plays his best ball. The arrow is pointed up for him.
The Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield are in agreement on a 3-year contract extension pic.twitter.com/Y5s5VLWMst
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) March 10, 2024
This deal will solidify Mayfield as a perfect QB2 for your Superflex leagues. With the types of weapons he currently has at his disposal, Mayfield should remain one of the best values in Superflex. Grab him while you can, and confidently slide him into your QB2 role.
Mike Evans
As we covered earlier, Evans had a fine 2023 with Mayfield at the helm. Evans even had better numbers with Mayfield under center in 2023 than he did with Brady the previous year. His catches, yards, and touchdowns were all up. Evans also managed his historic tenth consecutive 1,000-yard campaign to begin a career. His 13 touchdowns were also one shy of a career-high.
| Games | Receiving | Rushing | Total Yds | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | 1D | Succ% | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Ctch% | Y/Tgt | Att | Yds | TD | 1D | Succ% | Lng | Y/A | Y/G | A/G | Touch | Y/Tch | YScm | RRTD | Fmb | AV | Awards |
| 2014 | 21 | TAM | WR | 13 | 15 | 15 | 122 | 68 | 1051 | 15.5 | 12 | 46 | 46.7 | 56 | 4.5 | 70.1 | 55.7% | 8.6 | 0 | 68 | 15.5 | 1051 | 12 | 0 | 8 | AP ORoY-3 | ||||||||
| 2015 | 22 | TAM | WR | 13 | 15 | 14 | 148 | 74 | 1206 | 16.3 | 3 | 63 | 48.0 | 68 | 4.9 | 80.4 | 50.0% | 8.1 | 0 | 74 | 16.3 | 1206 | 3 | 1 | 10 | |||||||||
| 2016* | 23 | TAM | WR | 13 | 16 | 16 | 173 | 96 | 1321 | 13.8 | 12 | 82 | 53.2 | 45 | 6.0 | 82.6 | 55.5% | 7.6 | 0 | 96 | 13.8 | 1321 | 12 | 0 | 10 | AP2, PB | ||||||||
| 2017 | 24 | TAM | WR | 13 | 15 | 15 | 136 | 71 | 1001 | 14.1 | 5 | 55 | 50.0 | 42 | 4.7 | 66.7 | 52.2% | 7.4 | 0 | 71 | 14.1 | 1001 | 5 | 1 | 8 | |||||||||
| 2018* | 25 | TAM | WR | 13 | 16 | 16 | 138 | 86 | 1524 | 17.7 | 8 | 68 | 61.6 | 72 | 5.4 | 95.3 | 62.3% | 11.0 | 0 | 86 | 17.7 | 1524 | 8 | 2 | 11 | PB | ||||||||
| 2019* | 26 | TAM | WR | 13 | 13 | 13 | 118 | 67 | 1157 | 17.3 | 8 | 54 | 55.1 | 67 | 5.2 | 89.0 | 56.8% | 9.8 | 0 | 67 | 17.3 | 1157 | 8 | 0 | 9 | PB | ||||||||
| 2020 | 27 | TAM | WR | 13 | 16 | 16 | 109 | 70 | 1006 | 14.4 | 13 | 55 | 58.7 | 50 | 4.4 | 62.9 | 64.2% | 9.2 | 0 | 70 | 14.4 | 1006 | 13 | 0 | 9 | |||||||||
| 2021* | 28 | TAM | WR | 13 | 16 | 16 | 114 | 74 | 1035 | 14.0 | 14 | 56 | 59.6 | 46 | 4.6 | 64.7 | 64.9% | 9.1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 100.0 | 10 | 10.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 75 | 13.9 | 1045 | 14 | 0 | 9 | PB |
| 2022 | 29 | TAM | WR | 13 | 15 | 15 | 127 | 77 | 1124 | 14.6 | 6 | 53 | 54.3 | 63 | 5.1 | 74.9 | 60.6% | 8.9 | 0 | 77 | 14.6 | 1124 | 6 | 0 | 7 | |||||||||
| 2023* | 30 | TAM | WR | 13 | 17 | 17 | 136 | 79 | 1255 | 15.9 | 13 | 54 | 53.7 | 75 | 4.6 | 73.8 | 58.1% | 9.2 | 0 | 79 | 15.9 | 1255 | 13 | 0 | 11 | AP2, PB | ||||||||
| Career | 154 | 153 | 1321 | 762 | 11680 | 15.3 | 94 | 586 | 53.9 | 75 | 4.9 | 75.8 | 57.7% | 8.8 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 100.0 | 10 | 10.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 763 | 15.3 | 11690 | 94 | 4 | 92 | |||||
For dynasty purposes, Evans has entered that grey area where his value in your lineup far outweighs his market value. Evans finished with 282.5 points in standard PPR leagues, which is good for WR7 overall. That is impressive production for a soon-to-be 30-year-old receiver. With the ability to still go up and get the ball combined with fine speed, Evans should remain a WR2 at a minimum for the foreseeable future.
MIKE EVANS WITH A CRAZY ONE HANDED CATCH🤯 pic.twitter.com/j4BPKOrQOD
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) September 26, 2023
Evans currently represents one of the best values for a win-now dynasty squad. His recent decision to sign back with the Buccaneers assures that he will play his entire career for the Pewter Pirates. Do yourself a favor and plug this man into your lineups. He is the perfect WR2-priced player who will give you WR1 production.
BREAKING: #Buccaneers and WR Mike Evans agree to terms on a 2-year, $52M contract extension. pic.twitter.com/3Zeej8r81Q
— CRAZY NFL (@CrazyNFL_) March 4, 2024
Final Thoughts
Evans and Mayfield entered free agency with a great deal of uncertainty. It doesn’t always work out when players move from one team to the next. Mayfield’s experience in Carolina confirms that.
With both extensions in place, each player has stabilized their dynasty value. Mayfield will provide a high-floor veteran quarterback for his NFL and Dynasty squads. Evans seems to have maintained much of the dominant skill set that made him a first. He has been guaranteed 1,000 yards every season in the league. Barring injury, I expect that streak to continue in 2024. Do yourself a favor and get these players on your team. Their continuity with the team and each other makes for a smooth rollover to 2024.
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