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 rating
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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 offseason.
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Reporting from the Senior Bowl, Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda spoke to people around the NFL who believe Mayfield is going to land a contract worth far more than many expect. As of now, Pauline believes it will be in the ballpark of $40 million annually.
While it would mean Mayfield becomes one of the 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, the potential asking price is right below what the likes of Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins are expected to sign for this offseason. Furthermore, the projected asking price on a Jordan Love contract extension is even higher.
Impact of new Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator on Baker Mayfield
Money won’t be the only factor influencing whether or not Mayfield re-signs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. After losing offensive coordinator Dave Canales to the Carolina Panthers, Mayfield admitted who the next Buccaneers offensive coordinator is will also influence his decision.
“It all just kind of depends. Obviously Tampa, we’re going through a little bit of a OC search right now. It’ll start there. They were the first ones that gave me a chance, and (I’m) thankful for them. We’ll see. Taking it one day at a time.”
Baker Mayfield on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordiantor search
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On Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported that Kentucky Wildcats offensive coordinator Liam Coen is working on a deal with Tampa Bay to become its new offensive play-caller.
Importantly, as Garafolo noted, Coen and Mayfield briefly worked together. Coen served as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator in 2022 and he helped Mayfield after he signed with Los Angeles late in the 2022 season.
With the Buccaneers hiring an offensive coordinator who has some experience with Mayfield and seems to have a good working relationship with him, an official hire would make it even likelier that Mayfield returns for the 2024 season.
