TAMPA, Fla. -- Immediately after making the 19th overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft, Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht reached out to quarterback Baker Mayfield.
"I texted him right away and said, 'You're going to like this one,'" Licht said.
The Bucs' playoff pursuit ended in the wild-card round last season in a 23-20 loss to the Washington Commanders that was marred by two problems: An inability to get off the field as a defense and the loss of cornerback Jamel Dean late in the third quarter, with cornerback health an issue all season.