Ex-NFL star defends Baker Mayfield following unfortunate Buccaneers season
Baker Mayfield opened the 2025 season looking like an MVP candidate, but things fell apart fast for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team started 5-1 before collapsing to an 8-9 finish, and the momentum disappeared around midseason. Mayfield drove several wins early on and led conversations about the league’s best quarterbacks through six weeks.
Then came a four-sack beating from Detroit in Week 7, and everything changed after that. MORE: NFL analyst reveals Rueben Bain Jr. stunning draft outlook Mayfield never looked as sharp or comfortable from that point forward.
Injuries mounted across the roster, and while he still put up solid numbers. 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with a 90. 6 passer rating in 17 games.
Lavonte David shares untold details about Baker Mayfield’s difficult season Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield throws a pass against the Carolina Panthers. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images However, the production didn’t tell the full story. Recently retired NFL linebacker Lavonte David appeared on ‘ The Arena ‘ podcast and revealed that Mayfield played through far more pain than anyone outside the building realized.
“I’m telling you, Baker was going through a lot,” David said. “Baker had a lot of injuries that you didn’t expect a quarterback to play through. He had the oblique injury, he had the shoulder injury, he had a lot of things — like ankle injury, knee injury — he had a lot of stuff he was going through.