In Tampa due in large part to the extension Tom Brady signed — one that created a $35.1MM dead-money hit this offseason due to void years — Baker Mayfield expressed interest in staying beyond this season. The Buccaneers, who added Mayfield as a way to save money this offseason, are coming around on the resurgent quarterback.
The team has shown “definite interest” in an extension that keeps Mayfield around beyond this season, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports. Both Jason Licht and Todd Bowles are believed to be onboard with a second Mayfield contract, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. Although Stroud notes no discussions have commenced, those appear on tap.
Earlier this month, Mayfield said he is interested in sticking around. Days after expressing that desire for another Bucs deal, he put together the first perfect passer rating by a visiting quarterback in the history of Lambeau Field. Mayfield slicing up the Packers’ defense for 380 yards in Week 15 preceded a Saints Thursday-night loss to the Rams. The Bucs control their own destiny in the NFC South, and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter adds the former No. 1 overall pick can earn a $1MM bonus if Tampa Bay repeats as division champion. That is on top of the $2MM he can earn by playing 85% of the Bucs’ offensive snaps this season.
The 2017 Heisman winner is finishing out a one-year, $4MM contract — one that has already begun paying out incentives. Mayfield would also have an interesting opportunity ahead of him — the chance to test free agency coming off a much better season — the QB remains high on the prospect of re-signing. The Bucs have exclusive negotiating rights with their starter until the March legal tampering period, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds the team has seen a more mature Mayfield, who has meshed in the locker room.
“I mean, that would be great,” Mayfield said, via Jones during an NFL Today segment, of the prospect of re-signing. “But winning takes care of a lot of that. So we’ll handle that after the year. But that’s up to my agent and obviously the people here to decide. And so all I can do is control what I can and put myself in the best position to have options.
“… Understanding that this is somewhere where I can revive my career and enjoy it. That’s what made the decision to come here so easy. The pieces around the staff, the organization, knowing that they were going to put me in the best position to thrive.”
The Bucs have been able to re-sign a few key players despite letting them hit the market this decade. Cornerstone defenders Shaquil Barrett, Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean all reupped with the team after making it to the tampering period unsigned, but Mayfield being a quarterback makes the timeline here a bit riskier. The Bucs not having a deal in place by the time the 2024 league year begins would run the risk of another team outbidding them.
The Giants and Seahawks did not take that risk this year, respectively re-signing Daniel Jones and Geno Smith to new deals before the 2023 league year. Both could be relevant here. At 28, Mayfield is two years older than Jones but four years Smith’s junior. The Giants’ Jones deal (four years, $160MM) drew rampant scrutiny, but Mayfield does have a longer track record of success.
While Mayfield’s woeful Panthers stretch and injury-plagued Browns finale will undoubtedly come up as reasons for a midlevel contract, Smith displayed a much longer stretch of mediocrity and had settled into backup roles. He re-signed on a three-year, $75MM accord this offseason. Working with former Seahawks QBs coach Dave Canales, Mayfield could be poised to eclipse that in AAV and, more importantly, guaranteed money. The Seahawks only guaranteed Smith $27.3MM at signing, providing flexibility. It may well take more from the Bucs to keep Mayfield.
After carrying an NFL-most $81.5MM in dead money this year, the Bucs will have some more room in 2024. They are projected to hold $47MM-plus in cap space (11th in the NFL) next year. Mayfield needed to beat out Kyle Trask to become Brady’s successor this season. How he performs down the stretch will factor into the Bucs’ plans, and he was once on the doorstep of a Browns extension before seeing his value tank. Tampa Bay also has Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr. as free agents-to-be. But the sixth-year passer is moving close to a much better Bucs contract.
