Baker Mayfield checked in at No. 77 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026. The peer-voted list, unveiled by the league on July 7, reflects what his fellow players saw from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback during the 2025 season — a campaign that started with real promise before injuries and team setbacks took their toll.
The official NFL post highlighting the ranking came with a familiar clip from NFL Films. In it, Mayfield stands on the sideline in full gear, teammates and cameras swirling around him, and delivers the line with a grin: “You don’t have to tell me. I know I look good.” The moment, originally captured during a 2025 mic’d-up segment, captures the swagger that has defined his time in Tampa.
A Strong Start That Faded
Mayfield and the Buccaneers jumped out fast in 2025. He threw 16 touchdowns against just two interceptions through the first nine games. Tampa Bay sat at 6-2 at one point and looked like a legitimate NFC South contender. In Week 5 against the Seahawks, Mayfield went 29-of-33 for 379 yards and two scores with no picks, posting a 134.7 passer rating in a 38-35 win. He led four game-winning drives early in the year and showed the same improvisational flair and third-down mobility that had made him one of the league’s more dangerous quarterbacks the season before.
Then the injuries hit. Mayfield suffered a non-throwing shoulder issue in Week 12 against the Rams. He played every game — he has not missed a start in three seasons with Tampa Bay — but the production dropped. His season totals settled at 343 completions on 543 attempts (63.2 percent) for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The passer rating fell to 90.6, his lowest mark since arriving in Tampa. The team finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs.
| Key 2025 Stats | Value |
|---|---|
| Games Played | 17 |
| Completion % | 63.2 |
| Passing Yards | 3,693 |
| Passing TDs | 26 |
| Interceptions | 11 |
| Passer Rating | 90.6 |
| Rushing Yards | 382 (career high) |
Why Peers Still Put Him at No. 77
The drop from last year’s neighborhood of the top 50 stung, yet 77th overall still represents real respect from the people who play against him every week. NFL.com’s write-up on the ranking praised Mayfield’s “daring and dogged” style and noted that his play and tenacity continue to impress league peers. Even after the shoulder flare-up and the team’s regression, voters recognized a quarterback who kept fighting, kept creating, and kept producing when the situation around him got messy.
No. 77 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/JsCX8LQzQV
— NFL (@NFL) July 7, 2026
Mayfield’s legs became a bigger weapon than ever. The 382 rushing yards led all quarterbacks in some advanced metrics for yards per carry and first downs created on the ground. He converted third downs with his feet at an elite rate. Those contributions, combined with his quick processing and off-platform ability, kept him in the conversation among starting quarterbacks even in a down year.
The Confidence Never Left
That sideline clip the NFL chose to feature says plenty. Mayfield has always played with an edge — the same edge that helped him resurrect his career in Tampa after earlier stops in Cleveland and Carolina. The line “You don’t have to tell me. I know I look good” is not just trash talk. It is the outward expression of a player who believes in his preparation and his teammates even when the results do not go his way.
In a league full of quarterbacks who wilt under pressure or fade after a bad stretch, Mayfield’s refusal to lose his swagger stands out. The peer vote at No. 77 reflects that intangible quality as much as the raw box-score numbers.
The Buccaneers open training camp in the coming weeks. Mayfield will have a clear mission: get the shoulder fully right, recapture the rhythm that produced 41 touchdown passes in 2024, and lead Tampa Bay back into the postseason picture. The ranking is a reminder that, even after a difficult 2025, the league’s players still see him as a quarterback worth watching.
