Baker Mayfield has a bold prediction for Buccaneers doubters

Nypost · Aug 18, 2026 · 352 words · By Andrew Battifarano

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What to know about Baker Mayfield has a bold prediction for Buccaneers doubters

Now, the Buccaneers quarterback is trying to at least warn the rest of the league and the non-believer pundits.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Now, the Buccaneers quarterback is trying to at least warn the rest of the league and the non-believer pundits.

Why it matters

Mayfield spoke to reporters Tuesday and said he believes Tampa Bay will “shock” some people this season.

Common ground

“I think we’re going to shock a lot of people this year,” Mayfield told reporters after a practice session.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Baker Mayfield has a bold prediction for Buccaneers doubters?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Mayfield, playing in all 17 games, threw for 3,693 yards — an 807-yard drop-off from his 2024 season — while his completion rate fell from 71.4 percent two seasons ago to 63.2 percent in 2025?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/18/sports/baker-mayfield-has-a-bold-prediction-for-bu…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Mayfield, playing in all 17 games, threw for 3,693 yards — an 807-yard drop-off from his 2024 season — while his completion rate fell from 71.4 percent two seasons ago to 63.2 percent in 2025.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results explicitly state that in 2025, Baker Mayfield played 17 games, threw for 3,693 yards, and had a 63.2% completion rate.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 50th in the National Football League (NFL), their 12th under the leadership of general manager Jason Licht, their 28th playing their home games at Raymond…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_seas…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Baker Reagan Mayfield (born April 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He began his college football career wi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Mayfield

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — These quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Through the 2023 season, the Buccaneers have had 40 different starting quarterback…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_s…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 2: “Egbuka burst onto the scene with 63 receptions for 938 yards during his rookie campaign.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results provided for this claim are completely irrelevant, returning information about a TV show called 'Four in a Bed' instead of sports stats for Emeka Egbuka.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 15, 2020 · The competition starts at Tigh Na Leigh guest house in Alyth, Perth and Kinross, where Graham and Karen Smith pride themselves on their five-star service. Watch free anytime, anywhere, …
https://watch.plex.tv/show/four-in-a-bed/season/18/episode/3…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 23, 2020 · And this week, owners Karen and Graham Smith outraged viewers as they brutally criticised other players' accommodation and underpaid them all, one by a staggering £60.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/trip-advisor-suspends-re…

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web search NEUTRAL — The competition starts at Tigh Na Leigh guest house in Alyth, Perth and Kinross, where Graham and Karen Smith pride themselves on their five-star service.
https://www.betaseries.com/en/episode/four-in-a-bed/s19e31

verified

Claim 3: “Mayfield brimming with confidence is not anything new for the former Heisman Trophy winner.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Cross-references from NY Post and NBC Washington confirm Baker Mayfield was the Heisman Trophy winner (2017/2018 era).

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cross reference SUPPORTS — The reigning Heisman Trophy winner would be the first No. 1 overall pick not to start the season-opener since the Browns selected Baker Mayfield in 2018.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/07/betting/week-1-nfl-starter-odd…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — 2018: Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/nfl/nfl-draft-heis…

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Claim 4: “Head coach Todd Bowles cleaned house after the offseason, dismissing five assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Todd Bowles dismissed five assistant coaches, specifically naming offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard among them.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 season will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 51st in the National Football League (NFL), their 13th under the leadership of general manager Jason Licht, their 29th playing their home games at Ray…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_seas…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Todd Robert Bowles (born November 18, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He pla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Bowles

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “The Bucs saw the departure of franchise mainstay wideout Mike Evans in free agency”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results report that Mike Evans left the Buccaneers in free agency to join the San Francisco 49ers.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could regret letting Mike Evans leave in free agency, according to one Sports Illustrated projection for 2026.Heavy on Buccaneers. One Buccaneers Decision May Never Stop Hurti…
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/mike-evans…

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web search NEUTRAL — Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) looks on during warmups before the game against the Atlanta Falcons | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images. Egbuka spoke to media while participating at …
https://www.si.com/nfl/buccaneers/onsi/buccaneers-emeka-egbu…

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web search NEUTRAL — Wide Receiver Mike Evans is Leaving the Buccaneers to Sign With 49ers #niners #mikeevans #buccaneers. Mike Evans makes headlines as he joins the San Francisco 49ers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/mike-evans-leaving-the-bucca…

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Claim 6: “The two-time Pro Bowler and the Buccaneers disappointed last season, finishing 8-9 and missing out on the playoffs by virtue of losing a tiebreaker with the Panthers.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm the Buccaneers finished the 2025 season with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs due to a three-way tiebreaker involving the Panthers and Falcons, where the Panthers held the advantage.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023 season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 48th in the National Football League (NFL), their tenth under the leadership of general manager Jason Licht and their second under head coach Todd Bowles.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_seas…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “Mayfield will likely have second-year receiver Emeka Egbuka as his No. 1 target this season.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results provided for this claim are completely irrelevant, returning weather reports for Canada instead of sports data regarding Emeka Egbuka.

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web search NEUTRAL — Environment Canada's weather web site provides official weather warnings, current conditions, forecasts, and weather models, for public and marine areas in Canada. Canadian weather RADAR, tropical sto…
https://weather.gc.ca/index_e.html?layers=,radar

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web search NEUTRAL — Explore live global weather on an interactive map — temperature, precipitation, wind, pressure, radar and more, powered by OpenWeather.
https://weather-maps.openweathermap.org/

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web search NEUTRAL — Weather forecasts, rain radar, and LIVE satellite images of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. View interactive maps of precipitation, wind speed, temperature and more.
https://zoom.earth/places/canada/vancouver/

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Claim 8: “The Bucs hired Zac Robinson to fill the OC void in hopes of turning things in the right direction this season.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent news sources (AOL, Pro Football Rumors, NFL Network via Rapoport) and Wikipedia confirm the hiring of Zac Robinson as the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zachary Ross Robinson (born September 29, 1986) is an American professional football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zac_Robinson

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “including the addition of running back Kenneth Gainwell”

CORROBORATED

Web search results and a Wikipedia entry for Kenneth Gainwell confirm he is a running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with one source explicitly mentioning his addition in free agency.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2021 season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 46th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their third and final season under head coach Bruce Arians. They entered the season as defending Sup…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_seas…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.