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The Bucs were very well represented in the 2025 Pro Bowl Games having nose tackle Vita Vea, left tackle Tristan Wirfs, quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans on hand in Orlando for the event. Tampa Bay also had Bucs’ defensive coordinator Larry Foote and quarterbacks coach Larry Foote as assistant coaches to NFC head coach Eli Manning.
With the changing of the Pro Bowl format to flag football game mixed in with several different skills competitions to score points, each player was able to get involved in one way or another. The Bucs and the NFC were on the right side of things in this game, taking the win 76-63 over the AFC. These were some of the top by moments by Bucs players throughout the game.
NFC end zone at the Pro Bowl – Photo by: USA Today
Bucs’ Wirfs and Vea Dominate In Their Competitions
There’s only so much the the players in the trenches can do during the Pro Bowl since it is mostly shaped towards flag football and the skill position players. With that said, no matter what challenge is put in front of Tristan Wirfs and Vita Vea, they are going to dominate it.
Wirfs was up first at halftime as part of the team event called the “Great Football Race.” It’s essentially a relay race and obstacle course where several players have to complete a number of tasks before the other team to finish the race. In the section that Wirfs was in, he was teamed up with Lions offensive lineman Frank Ragnow as they had to flip a large tire 20 yards into the end zone. They breezed through this section, allowing the next group to go as the NFC eventually won the competition.
Next up was Vea, as he was in a group with of Pro Bowl players from the NFC for the very entertaining Tug Of War competition. It was a best two out of three to decide the winner, with two separate groups going in the first and second game. After the NFC won the first matchup, Vea entered for the second game. Along with Vea was Nick Bosa of the 49ers, Rashan Gary of the Packers, Leonard Williams from the Seahawks and Dexter Lawrence of the Giants. They placed Vea second to last on the ropes, which requires a lot of power and it paid off as the NFC won once again to complete the sweep.
As the AFC players fell into the pit, this caused for the NFC players on the ropes to go flying back. The broadcast caught it in slow motion making for a comical video of Vea getting moved back in a very rare sighting.
Bucs WR Mike Evans at the Pro Bowl – Photo by: USA Today
Baker Mayfield Stands Out With An Assist From Mike Evans
While Mike Evans didn’t have a big stat line during the day as the veteran future Hall of Famer played seldomly, he did play a factor on Baker Mayfield’s first touchdown of the game when he entered in the fourth quarter.
During the first play of the drive, Mayfield hit 49ers’ tight end George Kittle on a short throw that Kittle took up the field after breaking tackles. When Kittle got to around midfield, he lateraled then lateraled the ball to Evans, who took the ball inside the 15-yard line.
The next play was a touchdown pass from Mayfield to Kittle as Mayfield used his legs to extend the play and throw on the run. Evans was the first one to find Mayfield after the score as they jumped in celebration.
Also from the #ProBowl, Baker Mayfield starts a drive at QB, completes a pass to George Kittle, who eventually laterals it to Mike Evans for a big play.
Mayfield then fired off a TD pass to Kittle on the next play, throwing on the run. Evans immediately ran over to Baker #Bucs pic.twitter.com/vLlcfD5O8W
— Matt Matera (@matty4_matera) February 2, 2025
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield at the Pro Bowl – Photo by: USA Today
Mayfield did not win the MVP this year like he did in the last game, but was still very much the center of attention. He had 135 passing yards in the game to go with three touchdowns as well, all in the fourth quarter. Those touchdown passes went to Kittle, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers and Cardinals wide receiver Trey McBride.
With the game getting out of hand and the NFC securing a big enough lead, that’s when the shenanigans began to start. Each team started doing trick plays with quarterbacks throwing the football, offensive players playing defense and even other skill players lining up at quarterback.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has said for a long time that Mayfield is an offensive lineman in a quarterback’s body. Well, in another fun moment, we were able to see Mayfield line up at center and snap the ball for a play with Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba at quarterback. The play didn’t go as planned with Smith-Njigba throwing a pick-six, but at least Mayfield was able to look through the lens of Graham Barton for a moment.
With four players representing the Bucs this season. It’s the most they’ve had in a Pro Bowl since the 2022 game (representing the 2021 season) when nine players were selected in it, including Evans, and eight played in the game. Given the collection of talent that the Bucs have going into next season, it wouldn’t be surprising if they have a big number of selections again.
