In the world of professional sports, redemption arcs are the stories we live for. They are tales of resilience, of defiance, of a refusal to be defined by past failures. And right now, there is no greater redemption story in the NFL than that of Baker Mayfield. Cast aside by the team that drafted him number one overall, bounced from a disastrous stint in Carolina to a miraculous cameo with the Rams, Mayfield landed in Tampa Bay with a monumental task: be the guy after “the guy.” Succeeding a legend like Tom Brady is a thankless, almost impossible job. Yet, against all odds, Baker Mayfield is not just succeeding; he is thriving, winning, and reminding everyone of the fiery competitor who once captured the football world’s imagination.

The story of the Buccaneers’ young season is the story of Mayfield’s late-game heroics. A perfect 2-0 record, built on the back of two consecutive fourth-quarter, game-winning drives. It’s a testament to his unquantifiable, often misunderstood, knack for simply winning football games. But to truly understand the transformation of Baker Mayfield, you have to look beyond the box score. You have to look at one specific moment during Monday Night Football against the Houston Texans—a moment of blatant disrespect that, according to Rich Eisen, unlocked a “superhero power” hidden within.

Mayfield was down on the field, writhing in pain after a hard hit. It was a moment of vulnerability, a sight that often elicits a quiet respect from opponents. But Texans player Chanty Gardner-Johnson saw an opportunity. He stood over the injured quarterback, a clear act of taunting, of kicking a man when he’s down. It was a grave miscalculation. As Rich Eisen passionately recounted on his show, what happened next was “remarkable.”

“Do not poke the bear,” Eisen warned, his voice rising with excitement. He described how Mayfield, fueled by a surge of pure adrenaline and rage, sprang to his feet, seemingly healed by the insult. He immediately confronted Gardner-Johnson, his eyes blazing. “It’s like his superhero power,” Eisen explained, comparing the transformation to Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk. “You just don’t make him angry.” In that instant, the pain from the hit seemed to vanish, replaced by an intense, focused fury. It was that fury that powered him through the rest of the game, culminating in a critical fourth-and-10 conversion and another game-winning drive.

This single interaction encapsulates the new Baker Mayfield. The swagger, the chip on his shoulder—it’s still there. But it has been forged in the fires of professional adversity and has emerged as something different. Eisen noted the change in Mayfield’s demeanor, acknowledging that he was once seen as “a bit of a punk” in his younger, more brash days. But now, having been humbled and having fought his way back from the brink of obscurity, he has earned a different kind of respect. He’s “done a lot,” as Eisen put it, and that journey has molded him into a leader his teammates are willing to follow into battle.

His journey has been a whirlwind. The painful divorce from Cleveland, the team he led to its first playoff victory in decades. The forgettable stop in Carolina that nearly ended his career as a starter. And then, the shocking revival with the Los Angeles Rams, where, with less than 48 hours to learn the playbook, he engineered one of the most improbable fourth-quarter comebacks in recent memory. Those experiences have shaped him. They have taught him how to persevere, how to block out the noise, and how to win when everything is stacked against him.

Now in Tampa, he’s proving it wasn’t a fluke. The statistics are starting to back up the narrative. His 14 games with two or more passing touchdowns since 2024 tie him with Lamar Jackson for the most in the NFL. He is only the second quarterback in Buccaneers history to start a season with two straight game-winning drives, joining franchise legend Doug Williams. These are not the numbers of a journeyman or a game manager; they are the numbers of a clutch performer, a quarterback who elevates his play when the lights are brightest.

The road ahead remains challenging. The Buccaneers’ schedule features tough matchups against the Jets and the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, contests that Eisen rightly points out will be the true test of this resurgence. But for the first time in a long time, there is a genuine belief that with Baker Mayfield under center, the team has a fighting chance, no matter the opponent.

The kid from Oklahoma who planted the flag at midfield is gone. In his place stands a man who has weathered the storm and come out the other side stronger, smarter, and more dangerous. He is a leader forged by failure and fueled by disrespect. The rest of the NFL has been put on notice. The bear is awake, and as Chanty Gardner-Johnson learned the hard way, you poke him at your own peril.