TAMPA, Fla. — On any given Sunday, Baker Mayfield’s got a lot of eyes on him.

But this season, he’s got two new ones that have changed everything. The moment his daughter, Kova Jade, entered the world, his entire perspective on the game of football changed.

What You Need To Know

  • The Tampa Bay Bucs kick off the season against the Washington Commanders

  • Quarterback Baker Mayfield, armed with a long-term contract and a new offensive scheme, is ready to lead the Bucs

  •  Baker has a new perspective on the game after becoming a first-time dad. He and his wife, Emily, welcomed their daughter, Kova Jade, in April

“It’s even bigger now, because there will be stories written about that she’ll look back on and be able to read down the road, which is really special,” Mayfield said. “But for now, it’s about winning and doing my job at the highest level.”

His job this season is leading the Bucs back to the playoffs for an unprecedented fifth-straight time. And given what he did last year, that seems inevitable.

Mayfield is coming off a season where he put up career numbers in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. He was on his fourth team in 18 months. Looking for stability, he found it in Tampa Bay, and the Bucs found their leader.

“We’re a tough team that’s going to play extremely hard and fast, and offensively, we want to be very physical,” Mayfield said. “It feels good to know that going into this and to try and go achieve that.”

Mayfield wants to win in the community too. That’s why he and his wife, Emily, went all in the moment they arrived in Tampa Bay. They immersed themselves in various charities. Mayfield is someone who doesn’t do anything perfunctory — he’s very mindful in everything he does.

“It’s not for show. We truly care about this town,” he said. “We’re living here. We had our daughter here, our firstborn. So, it’s something that means a lot to us, and to be able to give back to this town, it’s given so much to us, so we have to help out too.”

The Bucs have finally made Mayfield feel at home. They rewarded him in March with a long-term contract. A month later, his daughter was born.

“It’s awesome to look over at the sideline and see, in the midst of (us) about to play a game, how serious that is — that you can stop and take a second for yourself, take a deep breath and enjoy the family that you have before you refocus up,” Mayfield said. “So yeah, it’s awesome.”