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Baker Mayfield is hoping to keep throwing passes to Buccaneers star receiver Mike Evans. <\/p>\n
There are no shortage of NFL rumors about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a>\u2018 offseason, starting with Mike Evans<\/a>\u2018 future. During an exclusive interview with Heavy Sports, Buccaneers star quarterback Baker Mayfield<\/a> discussed Evans\u2019 future, where things went wrong in Tampa Bay last season and his affinity for Sonic\u2019s new smash burgers.<\/a> <\/p>\n Mayfield expects that Evans will once again be wearing a Buccaneers uniform in 2026. <\/p>\n \u201cI say expectation, that\u2019s my hope (that Evans will return),\u201d Mayfield told Heavy Sports ahead of the Super Bowl. \u201cI would love to have Mike back. Just the player he is, the guy he is, the leader in the locker room. And, you know, looking at him and knowing how competitive he is, you expect him not to want to end his career the way it did.<\/p>\n \u201cHe still has some in the tank. That\u2019s for sure. And so I will be very happy if he comes back, but obviously respect whatever decision (he makes).\u201d<\/p>\n Mayfield had some other interesting things to say about the Buccaneers.<\/p>\n Baker Mayfield on Buccaneers Missing the NFL Playoffs: \u2018Just a Lack of Execution\u2019<\/p>\n Evans is a free agent<\/a> in 2026 meaning returning to the Bucs, retiring and even signing with another team are all potential options for the star receiver. Last season, the Buccaneers jumped out to a hot start at 5-1 with wins over the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks<\/a> as well as other playoff teams like the Houston Texans<\/a> and San Francisco 49ers<\/a>. <\/p>\n Things took a turn down the stretch which resulted in Tampa Bay missing the NFL<\/a> playoffs as the Buccaneers found themselves on the wrong end of a three-way tie for the NFC South title. Mayfield pointed to injures and a \u201clack of execution\u201d as the major reasons why the Bucs found themselves watching the postseason at home. <\/p>\n \u201cI think injuries finally caught up to us a little bit,\u201d Mayfield admitted. \u201cAnd just a lack of execution. The little things that we were doing right at the beginning of the year to get us to (a 5-1 start), we didn\u2019t do at the end of the year. And so it comes down to that. It doesn\u2019t matter who\u2019s in there.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s still the NFL. Guys are talented. Guys should know what to do. So (it is a) matter of execution.\u201d<\/p>\n Baker Mayfield on Being an Adopted Floridaman: \u2018Well, I Haven\u2019t Wrestled Any Gators Yet\u2019<\/p>\n After being the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Mayfield\u2019s career has had some ups and downs. The signal-caller initially signed with the Buccaneers on a one-year prove-it deal in 2023 but is now heading into his fourth season in Tampa. <\/p>\n Mayfield admits that he has officially become a \u201cFloridaman,\u201d pending an alligator wrestling match. <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I haven\u2019t wrestled any Gators yet,\u201d Mayfield joked. \u201cI\u2019m still looking to do that, so I can really get the full title of Floridaman.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 I enjoy it. People just kind of live their life in Florida, do what they want and whatever makes them happy and yeah, it\u2019s not a bad place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Baker Mayfield Is Partnering With Sonic for the New Smash Burger<\/p>\n When Mayfield is not throwing touchdown passes, the quarterback is also a passionate foodie. Mayfield partnered with Sonic amid the release of the new \u201cSonic Smasher.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPartnered up with Sonic to introduce the all-new Sonic Smasher, and I\u2019ll tell you, I\u2019ve been a Sonic fan for a long time and this Smash Burger is very exciting,\u201d Mayfield explained. \u201cYou know, when you\u2019re from Texas, you\u2019re pretty particular about barbecue, burgers, all this stuff. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen you find a good burger, you stick to it and I think I finally found mine.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tJonathan Adams<\/a> is a veteran sports contributor covering the NFL, NBA and golf for Heavy.com. His work has been prominently featured on NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. More about Jonathan Adams<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Buccaneers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Baker Mayfield is hoping to keep throwing passes to Buccaneers star receiver Mike Evans. 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