The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in quarterback Baker Mayfield on a one-year deal for the 2023 season, hoping he could be a stop-gap option in a difficult season. After leading Tampa Bay to the NFL playoffs, bringing Mayfield back will be a lot more expensive in 2024.
The former No. 1 overall pick was headed towards being called a draft bust as of last year. After a strong first three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield had a pedestrian 81.3 QB rating with a 60.3 percent completion rate in 26 games with the Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. Everything changed this past season with the Buccaneers.
-
- Baker Mayfield stats 2023: 4,044 passing yards, 7.1 yards per attempt, 28-10 TD-INT, 64.3% completion rate, 94.6 QB
Tampa Bay won the NFC South, in large part because of Mayfield’s success. He also stepped up as a leader in the locker room, earned support from the fan base following Tom Brady’s retirement and played like the best quarterback in the division.
However, the downside of a one-year contract is that players who cash in with a breakout year then get to raise their asking price the following offseason. After paying Mayfield less than $10 million this past season, including bonuses, Tampa Bay will reportedly need to shell out a lot more this
Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, a reporter from the Senior Bowl, talked to NFL insiders who think Mayfield will sign a deal for a lot more money than most anticipate. Pauline currently estimates that it will be close to $40 million every year.
Although Mayfield would rank among the NFL’s top ten earners among quarterbacks, the asking price is far less than what players like Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff are anticipated to sign this offseason. In addition, a Jordan Love contract extension is expected to fetch much more money.
Impact of new Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator on Baker Mayfield
When it comes to whether or not Mayfield re-signs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024, money won’t be the only consideration. Following the loss of offensive coordinator Dave Canales to the Carolina Panthers, Mayfield acknowledged that his choice will also be influenced by the offensive coordinator of the Buccaneers going forward.
According to a report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo on Friday, Liam Coen, the offensive coordinator for the Kentucky Wildcats, is negotiating a contract to join Tampa Bay as their new offensive play-caller.
Notably, as Garafolo pointed out, Coen and Mayfield collaborated for a short period of time. After Mayfield signed a contract with Los Angeles late in the 2022 season, Coen, who was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, assisted him.
It appears likely that Mayfield will return for the 2024 season if the Buccaneers make an official hire of an offensive coordinator who has worked with Mayfield in the past and gets along well with him.
Leave a Reply