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While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look determined to ink quarterback Baker Mayfield to a massive contract, the Atlanta Falcons could swoop in to grab him in free agency this month.
Seasoned NFL Draft insider Tony Pauline, writing Sportskeeda, reported that he “can confirm” the Falcons’ interest in Mayfield. Pauline isn’t the first to see it as Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds previously named the Falcons as the top suitor to snag Mayfield from the Buccaneers.
The Falcons have $36.8 million in salary cap space versus the Buccaneers’ $43.9 million in cap space, but the defending NFC South champion has numerous key free agents to re-sign such as wide receiver Mike Evans. Tampa Bay arguably needs to re-sign Evans in order to keep Mayfield, too, since the quarterback made that requirement known at the end of the season.
Spotrac’s market value projection for Mayfield has him at $27.1 million annually or the equivalent of a four-year, $108.5 million deal. A February 22 article by Spotrac has Mayfield’s contract value pushed up to $30 million annually and a four-year, $120 million deal.
Baker Mayfield’s Future also Hinges on Justin Fields
It also comes down to whether or not the Falcons can swing a trade with the Chicago Bears for quarterback and Georgia native Justin Fields — something both Reynolds and Pauline pointed out. Both insiders see the Falcons going for Mayfield if a Fields trade won’t work.
“Fields, a former first-round pick, has struggled with the Bears for four seasons, but he’s an exciting dual-threat quarterback and Michael Vick electrified the Falcons and the city of Atlanta back in the day,” Reynolds wrote. “If the Falcons don’t want to trade draft capital to acquire a QB, they could set their sights on stealing Mayfield away from a division rival. That would be a double whammy as Atlanta might be a quarterback away from winning the NFC South, and taking him from Tampa Bay would cripple the Bucs’ hopes of winning a fourth straight division title.”
Pauline wrote, “the Falcons have been linked to Justin Fields, and if a trade is not completed with the Chicago Bears soon after the combine, I expect Mayfield to be at the top of their wish list.” The NFL Combine concludes on March 3, and the Buccaneers have a March 11 deadline to ink Mayfield before he becomes a free agent.
Buccaneers Insiders Outlines 3 Reasons Falcons Could Attract Baker Mayfield
Besides salary cap space, the Falcons have three qualities that could lure Mayfield as Reynolds sees it.
“New Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson spent time with Mayfield in Los Angeles at the end of the 2022 season — just like new Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen did,” Reynolds wrote. “So any familiarity advantage Coen has with Mayfield, Robinson does, too.”
“Atlanta’s offense appears to be just as stocked with weapons as Tampa Bay’s is. The Falcons have two exceptional running backs in Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, two very good tight ends in Jonnu Smith and Kyle Pitts and a promising young wide receiver in Drake London,” Reynolds added.
“The fact that new head coach Raheem Morris might have better job security than Todd Bowles because he just arrived in Atlanta might make the Falcons an intriguing option for Mayfield over the long haul,” Reynolds concluded.
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