‘He pissed me off, bro’ — former NFL All-Pro hits Bucs QB Baker Mayfield with some respect that left him shaking his head
Tampa Bay’s starting QB earned the respect of one of the best defenders in the NFL.
Baker Mayfield has been very good at leaving defenders frustrated in his three seasons as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starting quarterback.
Much of that has come from the effectiveness with which Mayfield has operated the Bucs’ offense during that time. Well, at least in 2023-24, with 2025 being an off year for the entire unit. Mayfield threw 41 touchdowns to 16 interceptions in the second of his back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons in 2024.
And yeah, Mayfield is pretty darned good at talking trash and getting under the skin of his opponent.
But it was another aspect of Mayfield’s game that left former second-team All-Pro and Las Vegas Raiders star defender Maxx Crosby shaking his head when they met up two seasons ago.
Crosby joined social media influencer N3on on Kick.com, and he was asked about the quarterbacks he finds to be the hardest to sack based on elusiveness. He mentioned Mayfield as a sleeper and talked about how he wiggled out of two of his sack attempts in their December 2024 matchup.
Raiders EDGE Maxx Crosby credits Bucs QB Baker Mayfield for his elusiveness
“I would say a sleeper one, too, Baker Mayfield,” Crosby said. “He pissed me off, bro. I had, like, two of them (sacks) I should have had on him. He lowkey ducked under and got out of there. I was (expletive) livid, bro. But yeah, Baker is tough, bro. I like Baker.”
One of those Houdini acts included one in the Bucs’ end zone. Crosby had Mayfield dead to rights for a safety, but Mayfield — as Crosby said — ducked under Crosby and out of his grasp and got rid of the football. Crosby finished the game with no sacks, two tackles, and one tackle for loss in the Bucs’ 28-13 win.
Mayfield’s ability to escape pressure is one of the tools in his belt that he gets some credit for, but perhaps not enough. And it’s a significant reason why he’s able to keep plays alive and make chunk gains down the field.
That’s a crucial and innate skill that you can’t teach, which is another thing working in his favor as he and the Bucs continue to negotiate towards an extended future for number six in Tampa Bay beyond 2026.