Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles on Baker Mayfield & Losing Mike Evans to the 49ers

Todd Bowles has the quarterback question other coaches in the draft would have killed for. He does not have to choose one. He has Baker Mayfield.

Rich set it up by pointing out how rare the position Tampa Bay sits in actually is. Walk into a draft room without a quarterback need. Watch the rest of the league scramble. Bowles agreed. Very happy to have Baker, believe me.

What Bowles has learned about Mayfield over the last two seasons is what does not show up on the broadcast. The leadership extends past the offense. Bowles said Mayfield helps the defense as much as he helps his own side of the ball. Mayfield runs sprints with the linebackers. He sits down at the cafeteria with them. He trash talks. He is funny. He pulls guys aside to help them understand the game. Bowles did not know that before the Bucs got him. He called it a great quality, and credited Mayfield's ability to read a room as the best he has been around.

Rich added the personal moment. He met an eleven-year-old kid from Oklahoma at St. Jude in Memphis during his run. The kid was wearing a Mayfield Bucs jersey because he has been a Mayfield fan forever. The reach travels. Bowles agreed. Once you know the guy off the field, you root for him on the field. Down to earth. Easy to talk to. Bright. Helps anyone. Does not look for credit. Does not look to stand out.

The second half of the segment turned heavy. Rich said he was stunned when Mike Evans signed with San Francisco. Bowles confirmed it was a huge loss. Evans had been with the organization forever. He holds the team's offensive records. The presence on and off the field touched everybody on the roster. Bowles called it a big blow.

The coaching answer was honest. Evans put himself in position to make the decision he wanted to make. The Bucs had to respect it. Everyone in Tampa loves him and always will. The team has to turn the page. There are receivers in the room who want to prove themselves. Some have already proven themselves. The plan is to tweak some things and move forward.

Rich layered in Lavonte David's retirement, which compounds the leadership void. Two of the longest-tenured leaders gone in the same offseason. Bowles laid out his answer position by position.

On defense, the work is already underway. Akiem Robinson has stepped up speaking. Rakeem Nunez-Roches has stepped up. Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, YaYa Diaby, Antoine Winfield and Tykee Smith are all doing more vocally. On offense Mayfield is the spine. Chris Godwin is around him. Cade Otton, Graham Barton and Bucky Irving have started stepping forward and speaking up. It will not be the same type of leadership. It does not have to be. Bowles said you need different leadership as you go along, and different guys stepping forward is a good challenge for them.