Baker Mayfield pushes back on talk that he needs to do more to protect himself from hits

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles has said he’d like to see quarterback Baker Mayfield take better care of himself by avoiding hits in certain situations. Mayfield doesn’t think that’s an issue.

When a reporter started to ask whether anyone on the Bucs said anything to him about the need to protect his body more, Mayfield answered emphatically that it’s a non-issue, without even letting the reporter finish the question.

“I’ve started every single game last year — for the three years. So I don’t know if that should ever be a question,” Mayfield said.

It’s true that Mayfield has started all 17 games in all three of his seasons as the Buccaneers’ quarterback, but there’s more to staying healthy than just being healthy enough to get on the field. Mayfield’s play and the Bucs’ performance as a team declined over the second half of last season, and it’s reasonable to think that if Mayfield took fewer hits, he’d be in better condition to play well down the stretch.

So it’s easy to see why Bowles would prefer that Mayfield do more to protect himself from getting hit. Even if it’s also easy to see why Mayfield doesn’t want to change his playing style.