Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and tackle Tristan Wirfs were named to the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl Games for their production on the field in 2023. Mayfield replaced Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who was unable to participate due to the pending birth of his child, and Wirfs replaced left tackle Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers, who will be playing in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. Wirfs underwent a transition from right to left tackle and continued his dominance in the trenches, manning Mayfield's blindside. Mayfield impressive comeback year garnered recognition, earning him all-star recognition for the first time in his NFL career. Following the festivities in Orlando, Mayfield was named the Offensive MVP of the Pro Bowl Games.
Mayfield, who was selected as 2023's Most Improved Player by the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), produced a 2023 season in which he established career highs in completions (364), passing yards (4,044), passing touchdowns (28) and completion percentage (64.3%). He was one-of-two players this season with 28-or-more passing touchdowns and 10-or-fewer interceptions, joining Cowboys' Prescott. Mayfield ranked among league-leaders in passing touchdowns (seventh), passing yards (ninth), completions (10th) and passer rating (12th). He became the second player in Buccaneers history to throw for 4,000-plus yards, 25-or-more touchdowns and 10- or-fewer interceptions in a single season, along with Tom Brady (2022).
He led Tampa Bay to victories in five of the team's final six games of the regular season, recording the club's first four-game win streak since the 2021 season. During the streak, Mayfield became the first visiting quarterback in NFL history to post a perfect passer rating (158.3) at Lambeau Field, earning his fourth career Player of the Week honors. Throughout the year, Mayfield commanded the unit with poise and pinpoint precision, while displaying his improvisation skills to extend drives.
Wirfs, who concluded his fourth season in the NFL, has now been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons (2021-23). In his NFL tenure, Wirfs has garnered three Pro Bowl selections, one Associated Press first-team All-Pro selection (2021) and was a member of the PFWA All-Rookie Team (2020), in addition to starting on Tampa Bay's Super Bowl LV Championship team in his rookie campaign. In 2023, Wirfs totaled 1,233 offensive snaps, including the postseason, and yielded five sacks and six quarterback hits over 19 games played in his first season after making the transition from right tackle to left tackle, per PFF metrics.
Among all tackles with 850-or-more pass-blocking snaps in 2023, Wirfs ranked fourth with an 84.3 pass-blocking grade and sixth with an 81.1 overall offensive grade, per PFF.
Both became highlights in the annual all-star games in Orlando, as Mayfield and Wirfs participated in two events each.
Precision Passing: Each of the conference's three quarterbacks (Gardner Minshew, C.J. Stroud, Tua Tagovailoa vs. Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith) battled it out during a one-minute accuracy competition, as they attempted to accumulate as many points as possible by hitting as various targets. In the second round, the highest scoring quarterback from each conference took turns hitting as many targets as possible on six throws each. Mayfield and the NFC won the Precision Passing final.
Move the Chains: This offensive and defensive linemen strength and speed competition required teamwork. Each team of five players (Will Anderson, Terron Armstead, Myles Garrett, Laremy Tunsil, Kevin Zeitler vs. Demarcus Lawrence, Penei Sewell, Montez Sweat, Tyler Smith, Tristan Wirfs) worked together to move 3,000 pounds of weights off a wall in an attempt to be the first team to pull that 2,000-pound wall across the finish line. The NFC won the Move the Chains event as Wirfs gave it everything he had.
Gridiron Gauntlet: In this event, a full-field relay race between six AFC players (Will Anderson, Terron Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Trey Hendrickson, Wyatt Teller, Laremy Tunsil) and six NFC players (Kenny Clark, Aidan Hutchinson, Demarcus Lawrence, Chris Lindstrom, Penei Sewell, Tristan Wirfs) commenced in an effort to show off their athletic prowess in an obstacle course. The participants had to break through walls and crawl under doors in order to get to the final sled push across the field. In a thrilling finish, the NFC came out on top of the Gridiron Gauntlet.
Flag Football: Mayfield participated in the flag football game on Sunday and the NFC came out victorious in the matchup. Overall, the NFC defeated the AFC 64-59 and won for the second-consecutive year.
