The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a heartbreaker to the Detroit Lions, but you cannot blame Baker Mayfield for going down without a fight. For the first 58 minutes of the game, the first-overall pick played up to his draft stock, making elite throw after elite throw while going blow-for-blow in a high-stakes shootout against one of the best teams in the conference. Mayfield’s road to Tampa Bay was a messy one, and the Oklahoma product bounced around the league before finding success as the heir to Tom Brady.
After guiding the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs back in 2020, Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury early in the 2021 season. While he could’ve elected for season-ending surgery, Mayfield decided to play through the injury and, as one would expect, didn’t perform too well. Following the season, the Browns decided to pursue Deshaun Watson and trade Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers. Following a disastrous stint with Matt Rhule, the two sides agreed to part ways and Mayfield spent the remainder of the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams and showed some signs of life. With his contract officially expired, Mayfield signed a one-year prove-it deal with Tampa Bay to compete with Kyle Trask for the starting job.
As it turns out, Baker Mayfield made the right decision when he bet on himself. Taking over for Tom Brady, Mayfield guided the Buccaneers to a 9-8 record, winning the NFC South while completing 64.3% of his passes for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Tampa Bay had the highest amount of dead money in the league, yet Mayfield still found a way to lead this team into the postseason. The only question is whether he’ll have a chance to do it again in 2024, and all sides sound like they want that to happen.
Todd Bowles: Baker Mayfield “Definitely Has” Earned A Big Contract
Speaking to reporters after the loss, head coach Todd Bowles spent the early part of his press conference praising his current quarterback.
“He most definitely has [earned a new contract],” Bowles said. “Obviously, it’s too early to talk about that and business is business, but Baker had a hell of a year. We love him. The guys love him. And we’ll see what the future holds.”
For what it’s worth, Baker Mayfield seems to have a similar view. During his time with the press, the quarterback couldn’t stop praising his teammates and the entire organization.
“I love this group,” Mayfield said. “I’ve said that all year and it’s authentic. It would mean a lot to me, to bring back a lot of key pieces, to get this back together, to get into Year Two in the system…Obviously, we’ll see how it’s going to play out but I can’t say enough about this organization and the opportunity they gave me this year.”
Based on this, it’s clear to see that both sides are hoping for a reunion, and it’s easy to see why. From Tampa Bay’s perspective, Baker Mayfield played like a franchise quarterback, and you never want to let players like that leave the building. From Mayfield’s perspective, he finally found a team that can build around his talents. There are only a handful of quarterbacks who can succeed regardless of surroundings, and Mayfield is not one of those guys. There is no shame in that, but the fact of the matter is you’d need to be a Josh Allen type of quarterback to succeed with Matt Rhule and the Carolina Panthers. Mayfield finally found an NFL home, and assuming they can make the money work, he’d be foolish to leave.
Of course, money talks, and the NFL is a business at the end of the day. Baker Mayfield will probably return to Tampa, but these teams could outbid the Buccaneers for his services.
Possible Free Agent Destinations
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin said that he believes his quarterback for next year is already on the roster, but that’s the type of thing you say before free agency and the NFL Draft starts. Remember, Josh Rosen is not a Cardinal anymore. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a strong head coach, a great defense, and promising playmakers – all they’re missing to truly compete is a quarterback like Baker Mayfield. Kenny Pickett is clearly not the answer, and Mason Rudolph is nothing more than a serviceable backup. It’s easy to see why the Steelers would want Mayfield, and Mayfield would probably love the opportunity to get revenge on the Browns twice a year.
Atlanta Falcons
Bill Belichick will probably be the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and he’s probably not going to run it back with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. The eight-time Super Bowl champion is entering his age-72 season, and he doesn’t have time to develop a rookie quarterback, so he might as well pursue the best free agent he can find. Belichick has reportedly been a fan of Baker Mayfield for quite some time, as numerous reports stated that he would have tried to trade up to the second-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft had the Browns not selected Mayfield. Additionally, recent reports indicate that Belichick wanted to trade Mac Jones and sign Baker Mayfield in the 2023 offseason, but ownership discouraged such a move.
Denver Broncos
Russell Wilson is technically still with the Denver Broncos, but it’s an open secret that the team is going to cut or trade him in the coming weeks. With a glaring need at quarterback on an otherwise sound roster, head coach Sean Payton could go after Baker Mayfield. Generally speaking, Payton prefers quarterbacks who get the ball out quickly and make the safe play, and that isn’t always Mayfield’s game. However, his ability to stretch the field vertically is a huge plus, and he’d be a great pairing with Courtland Sutton.
Minnesota Vikings
This one depends on what happens with Kirk Cousins. Even after Mayfield’s impressive season, Cousins will be the top free agent quarterback available, assuming he recovers properly from his Achilles injury. The Vikings cannot use the franchise tag to retain Cousins’ services, so if he signs somewhere else, this team is in serious trouble. There are not enough good quarterbacks to go around, so the Vikings could throw everything and the kitchen sink at Baker Mayfield.
Main Photo: Lon Horwedel – USA Today Sports
