Bucs' Emeka Egbuka Talks Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Rookie NFL Season and More in B/R Interview

Baker Mayfield's future with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will remain a storyline until he signs a new contract since the 2026 season is the final one on his current deal, but his top receiver has no doubt who should be the team's long-term quarterback.

"I love working with Baker," Emeka Egbuka told Bleacher Report. "I think he's found a home here in Tampa. Everyone loves him over here. He's someone who has been amazing for me to work with because of the mentality he brings."

There is little doubting Mayfield's status as the franchise quarterback.

After all, he led Tampa Bay to back-to-back NFC South titles in his first two seasons in 2023 and 2024. He was a Pro Bowler in each of those campaigns as well, including in 2024 when he set career-high marks in both passing yardage (4,500) and passing touchdowns (41).

Even when the Buccaneers missed the playoffs in 2025, he still put up impressive numbers as he completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

And he did it all while demonstrating his usual leadership for Egbuka and the rest of the team.

"He's so up front and forward with his leadership and personality," the wide receiver said. "That's exactly who he is day in and day out when it comes to his energy and leadership. We're very blessed to have him in our building."

Baker's BEAST MODE Run 🤯

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Fortunately for Egbuka and anyone else who wants Mayfield to remain in Tampa Bay, general manager Jason Licht made it seem like it is just a matter of time until there is a new contract in place last month during an appearance on The Drive With TKrass (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com).

"Baker is at the forefront of our mind at all times," he said. "All of our plans revolve around Baker. That's something that we'll get to at some point. I have had a lot of discussions with Baker about the team. We texted during the draft after some of the picks. I know he was excited about the players that we took. We have a great relationship. And listen, nobody here wants Baker to be playing for any other team, so I'll just leave it at that."

That is key for the Buccaneers since they did lose a headliner this offseason when Mike Evans signed with the San Francisco 49ers.

Evans remains a franchise legend as Tampa Bay's all-time leader in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns. The No. 7 overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft played 12 seasons with the NFC South club and was a Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowler who tallied more than 1,000 yards in each of his first 11 years.

His presence meant Egbuka started his career in something of a No. 2 receiver role, which was not an unfamiliar position considering he played with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Smith during his time at Ohio State.

And what he learned from Evans in that role proved invaluable.

"We grew really close over the course of the last season," Egbuka said. "I'm really happy for him that he found his new home and he feels comfortable there. I think he's going to do great things in San Francisco. 

"Everything he taught me during his rookie season, he didn't even have to say. I just saw the way he lived it. He's a pro through and through to his approach, his mentality to the way he plays the game with his athletic ability. He taught me so much just by the way he played the game. That's going to speak volumes for the rest of my career."

With Evans no longer on the roster, Egbuka figures to be the go-to option in 2026 after he led the team in catches (63), receiving yards (938) and touchdown receptions (six) as a rookie.

Emeka Egbuka's 2nd TD ⚔️

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Given his overall importance to the offense, it is not a stretch to assume he will take on more of a leadership role in his second season for young players such as Tez Johnson, Jalen McMillan and Ted Hurst, even with a veteran presence in Chris Godwin Jr. a part of the receiver room.

Egbuka said he "absolutely" plans on being a leader in his second season in the league.

"I'm going to do whatever my team asks for me," he said. "I know they see me in that leadership role, that's something that came up during the draft process when they recruited me from Ohio State. They liked that I was a team captain and had leadership qualities. I'm not going to go back on the things they saw as positives in me. I'm going to do whatever my team asks of me, and we have the receivers capable of carrying the torch after Mike passed it."

That approach is anything but surprising since he was known as a leader during his collegiate career with the Buckeyes that ended with him lifting the national championship trophy in his final season.

He arrived in Tampa Bay as a first-round pick with plenty of hype after that championship and wasted little time delivering on it with two touchdowns in the first game of his NFL career and another in his second.

Egbuka tallied more than 100 receiving yards in three different games and finished with 63 catches for 938 yards and six touchdowns even though he slowed down some in the second half of the year without a touchdown catch in his last eight games.

Despite leading the team in all three major receiving categories, it was that second half and the team's failure to make the playoffs that stood out the most.

"When I reflect back, I just think there is a lot we left on the table as an entire team," Egbuka said. "I'm not one to look into rookie accolades too much, I'm all about team success. I think we can capitalize on the things we didn't do so well last year, and I look forward to making some of those adjustments."

Egbuka also takes a team- and community-oriented approach to what he does off the field and partnered with USAA to help raise awareness for hurricane safety and preparation ahead of the start of hurricane season on June 1 (visit USAA.com/Hurricane for more resources).

Joining the NFL's official Salute to Service partner was natural for the wide receiver seeing how his father served in the Army.

"The partnership has been amazing, and this is a great cause we're working on here," he said. "Everyone is great with USAA, and this cause hits very close to home for me. … It's something I had to learn moving here. Hurricane season is real over here. It's very important to be proactive."

He was part of USAA's Huddle Up for Hurricane Prep event, which prepared 1,000 disaster kits from the American Red Cross to distribute to military families in hurricane-prone areas throughout the Tampa community.

"There are so many people who are eager to help and serve, and that's what you see working with people on the military side of things," Egbuka said. "Everyone was super hands on and willing to give back. The energy was great. I feel super blessed to be a part of this event, and it couldn't have gone better."

Photo Credit: USAA

He is hoping to bring that same Tampa community plenty of joy during the 2026 NFL season with a second-year leap likely in store given the chemistry he displayed with Mayfield and the experience he now has at the sport's highest level.

Egbuka's focus will be on leading the Buccaneers to the playoffs after they went 8-9 during his rookie campaign, as he said he is not looking to set individual statistical goals.

Instead, he is going to play with full effort, leadership and "selflessness" because "good things tend to happen when you mix all those qualities together."

Ideally for the Buccaneers, one of those good things will be an NFC South crown.