Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles speaks to the media while attending Bucs Training Camp on Tuesday, Aug 16, 2022, at AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured one of the best deals in franchise history in 2023, winning the NFC South Division title with quarterback Baker Mayfield leading the way on a one-year, $4 million contract.
The Buccaneers were not going to obtain that kind of deal and were forced to pay up, signing Mayfield to a three-year, $100 million contract in March 2024. Trevor Sikkema of PFF applauded Tampa Bay for making a speedy decision to bring Mayfield back, highlighting it in a July 11 piece titled “Best 2024 NFL offseason decision by every NFC team.”
“Mayfield ran hot and cold through the first half of his first year with the Buccaneers,” according to Sikkema. “But from Week 14 on, including the playoffs, he had a 79.1 passing grade, with 16 big-time passes and only nine turnover-worthy plays. The ideal outcome for both parties was always to reach an agreement on a new pact. With Mayfield back behind center, the Buccaneers have a legitimate chance of winning the division again.
Mayfield not only led the Buccaneers to the NFC South Division title, but he also had one of his best seasons as a pro, racking up 4,044 passing yards and 28 touchdowns.
Mayfield Took A Circuitous Path to Tampa Bay
Few quarterbacks in NFL history, if any, can boast a career trajectory like Mayfield’s.
The Cleveland Browns selected him first overall in the 2018 NFL draft after he won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma and threw 4,627 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions as a senior.
Mayfield was a Day 1 starter who led the Browns from the bottom of the NFL to the playoffs by his third season before being unceremoniously dumped so Cleveland could trade for Deshaun Watson and sign him to an NFL record, fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract after Mayfield battled injuries and went 6-8 as a starter in 2021.
Mayfield was dealt to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional fifth-round draft pick, and he went 1-5 as a starter before requesting his release. He finished the season as the Los Angeles Rams’ starter in place of Matthew Stafford, going 1-3.
Mayfield was a Day 1 starter who led the Browns from the bottom of the NFL to the playoffs by his third season before being unceremoniously dumped so Cleveland could trade for Deshaun Watson and sign him to an NFL record, fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract after Mayfield battled injuries and went 6-8 as a starter in 2021.
Mayfield was dealt to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional fifth-round draft pick, and he went 1-5 as a starter before requesting his release. He finished the season as the Los Angeles Rams’ starter in place of Matthew Stafford, going 1-3.
Buccaneers May Have Got A $100 Million Bargain
Many of the Buccaneers’ starters return from the 2023 club, which finished 9-8, won the NFC South Division championship for the third time in a row, and defeated the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in a home playoff game.
In theory, that makes him a Top 10 quarterback in the NFL, but in 2024, he will be the 17th highest-paid player at his position, and he may fall farther down the list if Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s contract is extended.
