Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield boldly made his goals very clear amid his re-signing with the team on Wednesday.
Mayfield wants to win two Super Bowls with the Buccaneers amid his new three-year, $100 million contract and possibly beyond.
“So that’s the goal here is to try and win a couple,” Mayfield told reporters on Wednesday.
In 2023, Mayfield rebuilt his career with the Buccaneers as he completed 64.3% of his passes and threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns versus 10 interceptions. He led the Buccaneers to a third-straight NFC South title and a Divisional Round playoff appearance.
Set for free agency this year, Mayfield possibly turned down more money to play elsewhere. Spotrac projected Mayfield for a four-year, $120 million deal or $30 million annually.
“This is life changing money, and I’m not going to act like otherwise,” Mayfield said when asked if he turned down more money elsewhere.
Tampa Bay made the effort to bring back key players from last year’s squad — many of whom also played for the 2020 Super Bowl championship team. That includes wide receiver Mike Evans, linebacker Lavonte David, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
Mayfield called last season “a good run there at the end but I don’t think any of our guys were satisfied” with the final result.
Baker Mayfield Credits Mental Toughness, Trust in God for Career Turnaround
Mayfield came to Tampa a year ago for a new opportunity where the team paid him $4 million after his struggles with the Carolina Panthers and short stint with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. While the national media ruled out Mayfield succeeding with the Buccaneers, he didn’t doubt himself.
“Mental toughness can take you a long way and just trusting yourself, believing in yourself and trusting in God … for me, this was a good place that has already shown me that I can do that,” Mayfield said.
Mayfield grabbed the starting job in training camp after a competition with Kyle Trask. The former Oklahoma star won over the locker room along the way as the Buccaneers didn’t miss a beat with Tom Brady retired.
“He set the tone on this team,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told reporters on Wednesday.
Tampa is Now Home for Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield is resigning with the Buccaneers. Three more years of Baker running the NFC South
For Mayfield, Tampa is also home now. His career began with the Cleveland Browns as a No. 1 NFL Draft pick in 2018, but the team traded him in 2022, which sparked a year of instability in 2022.
“It’s a weight lifted off of our shoulders from the traveling journey that we’ve been on the last couple of years,” Mayfield said of himself and his wife, Emily. “For us knowing how much we truly loved being here.”
“And throughout the whole process, we thought we were gonna call this place home in the offseason regardless,” Mayfield added. “That’s how much we fell in love with the community, the city overall and truly enjoyed living here.”
“So it’s a weight lifted off our shoulders, but just knowing that we can settle in and truly make a difference whether it’s with the organization and throughout the community that we can truly be rooted and have a boots on the ground mentality and make a difference and see that through,” Mayfield concluded. “It’s a special feeling.”
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Baker Mayfield Puts NFL on Notice Amid Buccaneers Re-Signing