Although it was announced late Sunday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made it official Wednesday afternoon as Baker Mayfield met with the media and signed his three-year contract to stay with the team.
Mayfield signed for three years at $100 million to remain as the quarterback for the Buccaneers. The deal includes a $50 million guarantee, which could be worth as much as $115 million with performance incentives.
Mayfield will receive $30 million guaranteed in 2024 and 2025. His 2026 salary would be $40 million. Mayfield can also earn five million in incentives each season.
Mayfield Had The Best Season Of His Career To Earn A New Contract
In his first season in Tampa, Mayfield surpassed all expectations and had the best season of his NFL career, passing for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns, both career highs.
It was a long and stressful two months since the season ended in Detroit, and Mayfield expressed his desire to remain with Tampa.
The closer it got to free agency, the less likely it appeared that the Buccaneers would be able to get a deal done with Mayfield.
Two key dominoes had to fall to keep Mayfield a Buccaneer.
The first was hiring Liam Coen as the offensive coordinator, replacing Dave Canales. The second domino to fall was the signing of Mike Evans to a new two-year contract.
With both pieces of business taken care of, Mayfield was happy to sign on the dotted line and make Tampa his home for the next three seasons.
Buccaneers Hire Liam Coen as Their New Offensive Coordinator
Evans’s agent, Deryk Gilmore, said that Evans had two priorities when signing a new contract with the Buccaneers or any team. He wanted to play with an elite quarterback. And he wanted to play in an offense that would showcase him while paying him as a top receiver.
Mayfield and the Buccaneers checked both of those boxes.
The Buccaneers And Baker Mayfield Make A Perfect Marriage
At the NFL Combine, Jason Licht discussed the perfect marriage between Mayfield and the Buccaneers. “Baker meant a lot to this team, this fanbase, and this town. I think we meant a lot to him. I think it was a perfect marriage. He sought us out. He gambled on us. He saw it as a good situation. He saw it better than many national people who saw us winning two games. He thought it would be good for him, and it certainly was.”
On Sunday afternoon, while out with his wife at the Salt Shack, Mayfield had the urge to call Jason Licht. Licht had barely said ‘Hello” when Mayfield asked, “Are we getting this done or what?”
Mayfield admitted the negotiations were a bit rocky at times, and it looked like the new contract might not get done. “There were times, a couple days prior, where we didn’t know if we were going to be able to get it done before free agency hits. It was a lot of ups and downs and finally we were able to call Mike.”
Mayfield Just Wants To Keep Winning
Keeping this team was important to Mayfield. He discussed what to expect in the NFC South in the next few years: “A lot more winning records. It’s going to be just as competitive. We’re going to have to take care of business. That’s the thing. We’ve set the standard in this division for a while now, and we’re trying to keep it that way.”
Mayfield added, “Obviously, you want to set your expectations even higher because you demand that of yourself, competing in this high-level business. But I want to make it something we’re all striving to do, which is win a Super Bowl.”
The Buccaneers have had one of the best FA periods I can recall.
Linebacker Lavonte David, kicker Chase McLaughlin, defensive linemen Greg Gaines, and running back Chase Edmonds were all resigned by the Buccaneers, including Evans and now Mayfield.
And I get the feeling the Buccaneers will continue to add pieces to this team.
These guys could have all gone somewhere else, some for a lot more money. However, they believe in what GM Jason Licht is putting together and feel that this team can be outstanding and compete for the division title for the next few years.
This fall, it will be a very competitive NFC South when toe meets leather to kick off the 2024 season.