To quote the legendary rapper Pusha T …. “yesterday’s price is not today’s price.”
It’s something the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might want to keep in mind when it comes to 2-time Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield.
With the Buccaneers off to a 3-0 start and Mayfield the first quarterback in NFL history to engineer 3 consecutive fourth quarter comeback victories to start the season, the price will only continue to go up for Mayfield as the season chugs along.
Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti thinks if Mayfield continues his hot start that a new deal could come at some point during the regular season — and that’s it no longer a question of “if” but “when” Mayfield gets paid.
“The Bucs amended Baker’s contract this summer, fully guaranteeing $13M of his 2026 compensation, but he’s hoping that’s a moot point when all is said and done,” Ginnitti wrote on September 21. “Another above average season out of the 30-year-old should mean he’s a lock for a major extension in the coming months.”
What a major extension means for Mayfield would be one of the biggest contracts in NFL history — think something in the range of $55 million per year.
Tracking Mayfield’s Incredible Comeback Story
The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Oklahoma, Mayfield was selected No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL draft and signed a 4-year, $32.6 million rookie contract.
After leading Cleveland to an 11-5 record in 2020, Mayfield battled injuries, an incompetent coaching staff and ridiculous behavior by his teammates as he went 6-8 as a starter and the Browns stumbled to an 8-9 finish.
The Browns decided there were greener pastures elsewhere, traded for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers before the 2022 season. Banished to what was essentially football purgatory, Mayfield was cut by the Panthers after going 1-5 in 6 starts and finished the season with the Los Angeles Rams.
After Tom Brady’s second retirement in 2023, the Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a 1-year, $4 million contract and watched him lead his team to the playoffs and a win over the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round.
Mayfield was rewarded with a 3-year, $100 million contract before the 2024 season and delivered another playoff berth as well as being selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl.
Bucs Have Banked Massive Savings On Mayfield
Mayfield might also be one of the NFL’s most underpaid players in terms of his position vs. value to his team. At $33 million per year, Mayfield is the 19th highest paid quarterback in the NFL and was making less than 9 quarterbacks who didn’t even make the playoffs last season.
“The former No. 1 pick is emblematic of the NFL’s capacity for career resurgences at the game’s most important position, setting the blueprint for near busts to one day reach $100 million,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “When Mayfield signed a modest one-year deal with Tampa in 2023 and led the Bucs to the playoffs, it was a nice storyline about a former No. 1 pick regaining his footing. When he did it twice and his performance improved, that’s proof of concept. Only (Josh) Allen and (Lamar) Jackson have more touchdowns over the past two seasons than Mayfield’s 73.”
Buccaneers $100 Million QB Baker Mayfield Called ‘Lock’ for Massive Contract Extension