Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just had an eye-opener, thanks in part to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Bucs and the Jags are holding joint practices ahead of their preseason matchup Friday at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., and it was pretty clear from Mayfield’s comments who got the best of whom.
“It’s tough. I thought they gave us some good looks. They were playing with their hair on fire,” Mayfield told reporters on Tuesday.
Mayfield said that Tampa Bay simply was not able to keep up with Jacksonville, which is one of the teams to watch out for in the coming season after winning 13 games and finishing first in the AFC South in 2025.
“Say that this was a full game, I don’t think we would have came out on the winning side of it. So just a little eye-opening,” the former top overall pick continued.
“Got to get back and watch the tape. It’s never as good or as bad as you think it is. But I think from my standpoint, they may’ve out-physicaled us, and that’s never what you want to have.”
Baker Mayfield kept it real after Tuesday’s joint practice with the Jaguars
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The Buccaneers would rather get dominated by another team and learn what they need to work on during offseason practices and preseason games than experience those lessons in the middle of the season.
In 2025, Tampa Bay took a step back and missed the playoffs with an 8-9 record after going 10-7 in 2024.
Mayfield and the Buccaneers can regain some momentum by winning the preseason finale against Jacksonville.
