The Buccaneers spent much of the offseason taking care of their own. Two games into the season, they are still waiting for some of those investments to show up. Baker Mayfield, Vita Vea and Cade Otton all received new deals this year. All three were viewed as important pieces of Tampa Bay's core, but their performances have done little to help the Bucs avoid a 0-2 start.
Mayfield received the biggest commitment, signing an extension through 2029 that made him the highest-paid player in franchise history, and his start has not matched it. Through two games, Mayfield has completed 44 of 62 passes for 398 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also fumbled three times against Cincinnati, bringing his total to four turnovers. After completing
23 of 28 passes in Week 1, Mayfield followed it with 182 yards, one touchdown and an interception against Cleveland.
Vea has been even quieter. Tampa Bay extended Vea through 2027 in August, keeping one of the longtime anchors of its defense in place. Through two games, he has recorded just two assisted tackles with zero sacks, zero quarterback hits, and zero tackles for loss. Both tackles came against Cleveland after he was completely absent from the stat sheet in Cincinnati. For a player Tampa Bay expects to command attention and create disruption inside, the impact simply has not been there yet.
Otton at least showed improvement in Week 2. After three catches for 26 yards against Cincinnati, he caught five of six targets for 38 yards against Cleveland, including an impressive one-handed grab. That gives him eight receptions for 64 yards and no touchdowns through two games. He also fumbled against Cleveland, although Tampa Bay recovered it. Otton signed a three-year extension in March after finishing 2025 with 59 catches for 572 yards. Tampa Bay clearly valued his reliability and ability to contribute as both a receiver and blocker.
Simply put, the Bucs did not hand out these deals expecting their most expensive core players to disappear during an 0-2 start. Mayfield needs to protect the football and create more explosive plays. Vea needs to become a disruptive presence again. Otton needs to turn his heavy snap count into more meaningful production. Thankfully, there is plenty of the season left for all three to show the investments made were good ones.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs biggest contracts fail to show up
