The 2024 NFC Divisional game between the Commanders and the Buccaneers was a thrill ride. The NFC East side progressed to the next round with Zane Gonzalez‘s kick. While the winners celebrated, Baker Mayfield couldn’t believe his bad luck. Yet, the fans hail him as a hero. It’s not just about one game. Even his career has been like this. Frequent head coach changes at the Browns forced him out in 2022 before he landed at the Buccaneers in 2023. In the last two seasons, he has taken them to consecutive playoffs. All this forced the draft analyst Todd McShay to compare him to the LSU star Garrett Nussmeier.

During the game against the Ole Miss Rebels, he completed 22 of 51 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning TD throw in overtime. On the May 23 episode of The McShay Show, he made a perfect comparison between the college player and an NFL star.

However, his co-host, Stephen Muench, also pointed out the issues with Garrett Nussmeier. He said, “He throws really well on the move, but there are times when you’re just wishing he has time and space to reset and make a little bit more of an accurate throw. And I wish he would take advantage of that at times. But overall, I mean, I think he’s an accurate passer with great touch.” The numbers speak for themselves.

Baker Mayfield finished the 2024 season with a 71.4% completion rate. But the LSU star has never averaged above a 64.2% completion rate last year. Overall, in 4 years with LSU, he has a 62.6% completion rate. But he can learn from the NFL star. He is leading the college QBs this year as the best signal caller and is set to enter the 2026 NFL draft.

As the son of NFL coach Doug Nussmeier, the college player has a tremendous responsibility on his shoulders. The Bucs QB can teach him a lesson or two. He has also been thrashing rivals while making a name for himself.

Baker Mayfield gets above-average ratings

The Pro Football Focus is also trying to garner excitement for the NFL athlete in the off-season. That is to create some hype for the quarterback. In fact, they ranked the quarterbacks. According to their senior football analyst, John Kosko, Baker Mayfield emerged as an above-average quarterback this year.

The 2024 season was the best of Baker Mayfield’s NFL career. In 17 games, he led the Buccaneers to a 10–7 record, completing 407 of 570 passes (71.8% completion rate) for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. Although he led the league in interceptions, his impressive touchdown count helped offset the negatives. Even in the Wild Card round, the team came close to securing a win.

These performances led analyst Anthony Treash Kosko to rank Mayfield 13th among NFL quarterbacks. However, another analyst, Joe, placed him even higher—ranking Mayfield ahead of Geno Smith (10th, Seahawks), Justin Herbert (8th, Chargers), and Jordan Love (12th, Packers). While the Bucs haven’t faced the Seahawks in the past two seasons, they convincingly defeated the Packers in 2023 and the Chargers in 2024, which helped justify Joe’s ranking of Mayfield at 10th.

Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis has one main request for Mayfield: protect himself better. Speaking to the media on May 22, Lewis said, “Let’s play a little team ball; we have a good defense.” Had Mayfield not thrown 16 interceptions, the team likely would have had a stronger winning record. Reducing turnovers would also help sustain team morale.

With two Pro Bowl appearances in seven seasons, Mayfield now needs a Super Bowl win to cement his legacy among the NFL’s elite. The franchise is already working to strengthen fan engagement through a stadium overhaul, and continued on-field improvement would only amplify those efforts.