Sorry, fans of the NFL franchises located in Cleveland, Ohio, and Charlotte, North Carolina, you had an MVP-caliber quarterback and you said, “no thanks.”
Baker Mayfield has had a rollercoaster of a career, going back to his college days, but he has seemingly always been the same player in a way. He has been a gunslinger, he is competitive, and he is someone you would rather play with than against. Eight years into his NFL career, it all seems to be clicking for him both in terms of seeing the field with a new vision and keeping turnovers to a minimum for the first time in his professional career.
As a result, Mayfield now finds himself leading a 4-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers team to the top of the NFC South, with all four wins seemingly coming from him willing them to victory.
The Bucs have won all of their games, with the game-winning score coming with less than a minute on the clock for them. In each of those games, Mayfield has orchestrated game-winning drives that would even make Tom Brady blush because while everyone around him is taking turns going down with injuries, he is not letting this Bucs team lose sight of their end goal.
In five games, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback has passed for 1,283 yards while completing 65.1% of his passes; he also has 10 touchdowns and just one interception.
EMEKA EGBUKA HAS DONE IT AGAIN!
The rookie’s 5th TD of the season puts the @Buccaneers ahead
TBvsSEA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVntpic.twitter.com/d5BwfXXNQi
— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025
The production is there, the winning is there, and there is no one else in the NFL doing what he is doing for their team. Are other teams playing well? Absolutely. Are different teams doing it while beaten up? Some are. What no one else is doing is overcoming all the obstacles that a team can face in an NFL season, just as Mayfield has, through the first five weeks.
That’s the definition of being the Most Valuable Player.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs’ Baker Mayfield should be the MVP frontrunner after Week 5 win
