The Tampa Bay Buccaneers inked quarterback Baker Mayfield to a one-year deal last year, essentially asking him to prove he still had what it took to play at an elite level.
The 28-year-old did exactly that on the field this season and is now expected to sign a huge contract with the team, according to a report.
Jeff Howe with The Athletic reported Saturday there is chatter that the Buccaneers are “expected to pursue” a contract to keep Mayfield in Tampa for the long term.
There are also rumors such a deal could be worth as much as “$40 million annually” for Mayfield.
Free Agent QB Baker Mayfield is expected to command a contract “that would pay him at least $40 million annually” per @TonyPauline
Atlanta hiring Raheem Morris may have also raised Baker’s worth with the Falcons as a potential landing spot 👀 pic.twitter.com/0hEVYqnpRg
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) February 2, 2024
The quarterback was asked about signing a long-term contract with Tampa last week before he participated in his first Pro Bowl this past weekend.
He told the NFL Network thathe wanted to wait to comment on any deal until he knew who the team’s offensive coordinator was going to be:
Pro Bowl QB Baker Mayfield coming off a career year told me his agent started some contract talks with Bucs as he’s set to be free agent but “they know we gotta know who is going to be calling plays before anything is done.”@nflnetwork 1-on-1 on Mayfield & his Bucs future: pic.twitter.com/msJVWh9bpr
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) February 2, 2024
Mayfield, who won a Heisman Trophy after walking on at Oklahoma before the 2015 season, had the best statistical year of his career in 2023 with the Bucs.
He threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions — and took the team to the playoffs less than a year after fans lost Tom Brady to retirement.
After defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in dominant fashion, Mayfield and Tampa came close to knocking out the Detroit Lions on their home field but lost on what could have been a game-tying drive when he threw an interception.
Mayfield said all season he’d been having “fun” in Tampa.
He also had fun at his own expense last week when he joked about his final pass of the season being caught, but not by one of his own players:
Baker Mayfield has jokes 🤣🤣
(🎥 NFL, ESPN) pic.twitter.com/v5QLm410NJ
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) February 2, 2024
The number one overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft at one point had his team sitting at 4-7 before the offense clicked in December.
The Bucs ended the regular season 9-8 before Mayfield won his second career playoff game.
His first post-season victory came in January 2021 when he was with the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield led the team over the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in the Wild Card Round.
But Mayfield’s four-season stint with the Browns and the coaching carousel that accompanied it came to an end suddenly before the 2022 season when the team traded away major assets for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
It looked for a time as if his career as a starting quarterback was over.
Does Mayfield deserve this contract?
Mayfield spent part of 2022 with the Carolina Panthers before he was cut and picked up by the Los Angeles Rams in the final weeks of the season.
This past weekend, the Buccaneers announced they had hired Liam Coen — the Rams’ 2022 offensive coordinator — to call plays this coming season.
The hire could prove enticing for Mayfield and could also work out for both him and the team on the field.
Mayfield’s impressive five-game stint in Los Angeles arguably set him up for another shot to lead a team, and Coen played some part in that.
