regular season record during the 2024 NFL season, improving their win total by one game from the 2023 season.
Evidently, the Buccaneers took one more step to becoming a contending team despite dealing with injuries and even holding some question marks around Todd Bowles as the head coach following a Wild Card Weekend loss.
The Buccaneers had some incredible help from players outside of Mayfield, too, as five players were listed on ESPN’s top 100 “real MVP candidates” list. Here are the Buccaneers’ five most important players who happen to be among the league’s 100 most valuable players:
QB Baker Mayfield, No. 10
Falling at No. 10 across ESPN’s “real” MVP candidates is Mayfield, which is no surprise. WIthout him, the Buccaneers would be in quite a dark place. The 29-year-old quarterback threw for a career-high 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns en route to a playoff appearance. Here’s what ESPN had to say about Mayfield:
“Mayfield elevated his play in 2024. Despite a high 2.5% turnover rate, his EPA per play numbers (assigning the entirety of team performance to him on dropbacks and designed carries) were fifth best in the league,” ESPN wrote. “QBR ranked him 13th overall after adding further context such as garbage time, quality of defenses faced and percentage of yards that came from YAC, which benefited Mayfield more than most quarterbacks.”
OT Tristan Wirfs, No. 17
Once agian, Wirfs was phenomenal this season. As the Liam Coen-led offense was fueled by Mayfield, having strong protection is essential and Wirfs happens to be one of the best offensive lineman in the entire NFL.
Wirfs was the anchor of a top five offensive line unit en route to an incredible season from both Mayfield and the ground game. Having him at No. 17 on this list is just further proof of his superstardom in Tampa.
WR Mike Evans, No. 65
With Chris Godwin going down for the season earlier in the Buccaneers’ campaign, Evans was able to secure an 11th straight 1,000-yard campaign to extend his record throughout his career. Appearing in 14 games, Evans caught 74 passes for 1,004 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
While Mayfield is the engine of the offense, having a true star out wide and clear-cut WR1 in Evans has made life significantly easier for the signal-caller.
DT Vita Vea, No. 83
Having completed his seventh NFL season, all of those seasons wearing a Buccaneers jersey, Vea has made the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career. With a career-high of seven sacks and 13 quarterback hits, Vea was a disruptor in the backfield once again.
While the Bowles-led defense had deficiencies this season, Vea continues to be a superstar and a bright spot within the unit.
RB Bucky Irving, No. 84
Even making this list shows what a remarkable rookie campaign Irving had in Tampa. He finished the season with 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns scored on the ground with 207 carries. The Oregon product added 392 receiving yards on 47 receptions.
While there are some decisions to make personnel-wise in the offense for the Buccaneers, Irving gives Tampa Bay some comfort in the backfield alongside Mayfield.
