NFL News: Baker Mayfield’s top weapon sends strong message to Todd Bowles ahead of Bucs’ 2025 season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are aiming to once again become that tough, fearsome team in the NFL — and to do so, they’ve surrounded Baker Mayfield with as much talent as possible. Now, the challenge falls on veteran head coach Todd Bowles, who finds himself with a surplus of skilled offensive players on his roster.

Jalen McMillan is heading into his second season since entering the league, fully aware that earning a spot in the starting lineup won’t be an easy task. With established names like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin ahead of him on the depth chart, the former Washington standout still believes in his abilities to earn meaningful playing time.

In recent comments to the media as the team prepares for the upcoming season, the explosive wide receiver sent a clear message to his coach, expressing that he’s unfazed by the internal competition within the WR group.

“I’m just looking forward to making the most of my opportunities,” he said. “I’m not really worried about any three, four, five, six spots. I’m just worried about when the ball comes my way — make the play.”

Jalen McMillan #15 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium on December 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida.

The names ahead of McMillan

Jalen McMillan’s remarks toward Todd Bowles stem from the fact that the former Washington Huskies receiver knows he’ll be competing against several higher-profile teammates — including newly arrived faces fresh out of college football.

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Mike Evans is not only one of the top figures at his position on the team, but across the entire league. On top of that, the Bucs re-signed longtime veteran and Super Bowl champion Chris Godwin, ensuring that experience is more than covered at the wide receiver position.

Not stopping there, Tampa Bay used this year’s draft to add two potential weapons for Baker Mayfield: Emeka Egbuka, a first-round pick out of Ohio State, and Tez Johnson, who joined the team from the Oregon Ducks.

McMillan’s goal heading into the new season

As he eagerly awaits the new season with the Bucs, McMillan reflected on his rookie campaign and clearly outlined his goals heading into the year ahead.

“I feel like last year, I was more focused on, ‘How am I going to look in the future?’ instead of worrying about what I wanted to accomplish in the moment,” the WR said via Pewter Report. “And as y’all can see, as I focused on the moment, I did good things. It gave me a lot of confidence. I think it also gave me a lot of just confidence within myself, just going out on the field and feeling belonging.”

He also added: “Just be where my feet are, [have] intent with all my actions. Definitely [to] get stronger, get faster, get smarter, just keep my circle tight. I think I was on a great run last year so just continuing that and not falling off.”