The talk of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offseason was Baker Mayfield and his contract situation. It looked like Tampa Bay and their quarterback were going to be unable to agree to an extension, which many fans assumed would only motivate the former Heisman winner who plays with a chip on his shoulder.

However, Mayfield was given a new three-year, $165 million deal just days before the start of the 2026 season. In Week 1, the Buccaneers took on the Cincinnati Bengals, but Mayfield fell short of expectations during the opener. The former number one pick fumbled the football three times, all three of which were recovered by the opponents. Bucky Irving lost a fumble, too, adding to the team's turnover issue. These turnover problems came against a defense that has struggled in recent years, and Todd Bowles addressed the problem.

“He knows he's got to take care of the football,” Bowles said. “We don't want the turnovers, and he doesn't want them either. We've got to get better at that and understand you just have to get down and understand the play call. Knowing when you've got the first down, knowing when the game is on the line, and knowing when it is not. So obviously we don't like the turnovers, and he'll be better this week.”

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Mayfield has always had somewhat of a gunslinger label attached to his name, as he's typically been willing to sacrifice a couple of interceptions for big plays down the field. He had 21 picks in year two and led the league in interceptions just two seasons ago. Fumbles have always been a big problem, too, as he led the league with 13 and 11 fumbles in each of the past two seasons, respectively. Mayfield is a great player, but turnovers are unfortunately a part of his game.