CBS Sports Predicts Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Will Underperform in 2024

Doubters are nothing new to the Bucs signal caller.

Jan 21, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes the ball against the Detroit Lions during the second half in a 2024 NFC divisional round game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

All eyes in Tampa Bay will be on quarterback Baker Mayfield this season, but after a strong 2024 campaign, he'll have plenty more national eyes on him as well.

Mayfield had a strong 2023 campaign in which he threw 28 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and over 4,000 yards. Those heroics helped lead the Buccaneers to an NFL Divisional Round game against the Detroit Lions, but it also happened after a 9-8 season in which the Buccaneers barely won the division — and some haven't forgotten about that.

CBS Sports recently released an article detailing which QBs they thought would overperform and underperform, and Mayfield was listed as a potential underperformer. Writers Cody Benjamin, Jared Dubbin and Garrett Podell all gave their reasons as to why he was placed there.

"isn't it possible we're putting a little too much stock into a 9-8 season in which he almost didn't escape the NFC South? We've had five years of Mayfield as a starter, and two of them have been playoff-caliber," Benjamin wrote. "He may well have the Bucs fighting at the top of the South again, but he still feels more like a spoiler than a contender."

READ MORE: Offensive Line Change Will Be a Major Storyline at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp

Those are valid concerns, of course. The Bucs were 4-7 at one point in the season, but were able to turn it around after a valiant effort. The game that got the Bucs into the playoffs against the Carolina Panthers was a rough one, but the team rebounded with a big win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dubbin and Podell both pointed to a common talking point in the offseason in regards to Mayfield — the departure of Dave Canales.

"Similar to the way Geno Smith took a step backward last season after Canales left for Tampa, I think Mayfield could do the same now that the former Buccaneers OC is in Carolina," Dubbin wrote.

"With offensive coordinator Dave Canales now in Carolina as the Panthers new head coach, Mayfield takes a slight step back under new offensive coordinator Liam Coen despite their brief established relationship from their time together with the 2022 Los Angeles Rams," Podell wrote.

We wrote in depth about how Dave Canales leaving for Carolina may not be an awful thing, but it is true that Canales has been somewhat of a quarterback whisperer during his NFL tenure. He'll be focused on Bryce Young, but Baker Mayfield will look to have as good or better a campaign in 2024 than he had the last year, and of course, that all starts with him.

A Mayfield regression wouldn't be surprising, but it also feels like a world where he improves or keeps playing good football isn't all that far away, either. Only the future will tell.

READ MORE: Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Edge Rusher Announces Retirement

Stick with BucsGameday for more FREE coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Will Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro Left Tackle 'Hold In' During Training Camp?

• Where Does Buccaneers Receiver Mike Evans Rank Among NFL Players Over 30?

• Bucs News: PFF Identifies Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Best Offseason Decision in 2024

• First-Round Rookie Expected to be Crucial to Buccaneers' Success This Season