The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to let Baker Mayfield play the last year of his contract without an extension. Mayfield said he felt disrespected by the Bucs’ attempts to get a deal and warned them that things could get worse after he plays well this season. Now, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has added some more gas to the fire.
Florio joined Pardon My Take and speculated that Mayfield could play well and spurn the Bucs. He brought up the Pittsburgh Steelers as a team to keep an eye on.
To make matters even wilder, Florio believes Mayfield would take less money to join the Steelers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Baker Mayfield Projected to Leave for Pittsburgh Steelers Next Offseason
GettyBaker Mayfield
In some ways, this can make sense. Mayfield can stick it to two teams here. First, he can make the Bucs’ lives worse. He can sign for an offer similar to what they would have given. However, because the offer came too late, he can make them pay.
More than that, he can hurt the team that drafted him, then let him go. Mayfield led the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs, and they gave him one more season as a starter before moving on.
If Mayfield joined their biggest rival and won big games against the Browns before the Browns found the proper replacement for him, it would devastate fans.
The issue is that the decision would only make sense from the Bucs’ end if the team were to let him walk in free agency. They would only do that if Mayfield did not play well. So, Mayfield signing for less would make sense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Still Control Mayfield Moving Forward
The Bucs still can tag Mayfield if he plays well this season. Mayfield has expressed that he does not think the Bucs can, because of his dead cap hit. However, General Manager Jason Licht said the tag is still in play, and he had no issue offering it as an example of how the team will keep Mayfield.
The Bucs can tag Mayfield, and then trade him to the Steelers, but the Steelers would not be able to get him at the discount that Florio is talking about. They would be paying at least the tag and trading draft assets.
Tampa Bay could also tag him with the intention of working out an extension. That would smooth the dead cap hits that Mayfield is warning about while also keeping any other teams out of the conversations. Lastly, the team could let him play out the tag year. The cap would give them little wiggle room, but there is a chance that happens.
Still, all three scenarios will likely come into play before Mayfield plays well and leaves the team for nothing in return. It is smart in theory, but hard to see the Steelers pulling this off.
However, they will be one of the teams projected to be bidding for him next offseason if things go well.
NFL Insider Predicts Devastating Baker Mayfield Exit