Baker Mayfield: Buccaneers will 'shock a lot of people' in 2026

It’s motivation season, when every NFL team not sitting as the favorite to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February will use it to drive its spirits heading into the 2026 season.

It’s old hat. Teams and players will find any morsel that can be used as a nugget of motivation. Whatever gets them through the rigors of training camp and through the gauntlet of a season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield provided us with the latest example, using a benign question about the Bucs starting the season on the road in Cincinnati to make a declarative statement about how he sees the campaign unfolding.

"It's just the Bucs against everybody else in that city you're going to. I think it's a good opportunity for us against the Bengals [in Week 1],” he said Tuesday. “I think we're going to shock a lot of people this year, so I'm excited to just get on the road and do that."

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The way Baker hears it, analysts aren’t giving his team much of a shot in mid-August.

"There's no embellishing. I think you can't avoid it. There's TVs everywhere,” he said. “Hell yeah, I am [confident]. Everybody is picking us probably to have a losing record, so we'll see."

I’m not here to chip away at Mayfield’s motivation or how he plans to drive his teammates, but I should point out that the Bucs currently sit as the favorites to win the division. Sure, the New Orleans Saints are getting some love as an upstart, and the Carolina Panthers are the defending champs, but Tampa still enters with the best odds.

The narratives surrounding the Bucs this offseason haven’t been all that positive, from Mike Evans’ exit to the contract standoffs of Mayfield and Vita Vea. Those issues mean most of the discussions regarding the franchise, which wilted last season, haven’t started from a rosy stance.

However, the Bucs remain top-to-bottom the best and most experienced team in the division. If the defense perks up and Mayfield stays healthy this season, a losing record would be a surprise outcome in Tampa.