“I continue to believe Tampa wins the division.”
Yes, there are national analysts railing against the popular take that the arrival of Kirk Cousins makes the Falcons a powerhouse team and leaves the Bucs a few rungs down the NFC South ladder.
Most are the same people who believed a year ago that the Bucs could win another division title with Baker Mayfield.
Joe realizes some folks have fun saying everyone picked against Mayfield and the Bucs last season, but it’s a highly inaccurate take. Among others, superstar former players Keyshawn Johnson, Richard Sherman and Michael Irvin were on the Mayfield bandwagon.
And there were others like Chris Simms and Rick Spielman and Shaun King, guys who thought Mayfield was capable of leadiing the Bucs to a winning record. Heck, back in 2022, King pointed to Mayfield as one of three veteran quarterbacks that could handle replacing Tom Brady.
While Sherman has been caught gushing over the Cousins signing, Johnson is not biting.
Talking about the NFC South this week, Johnson explained that he’s not swallowing the Cousins/Falcons narrative. “I still think Tampa wins the division,” he said.
Undisputed co-host and known Mayfield lover Skip Bayless quickly agreed.
Simply stated, Johnson sees Mayfield as a good veteran QB, a returning winner in his prime that’s had some postseason success. Johnson’s not betting againt Mayfield and neither is Joe.
