The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could land their future starting quarterback on draft day.
According to a draft day trade scenario by Michelle Bruton of Bleacher Report, a Buccaneers trade for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield would make sense. In this scenario, Tampa Bay would give up a fourth-round draft pick (No. 133 overall) for the former No. 1 overall pick.
“The Bucs don’t have a lot of cap space, but Cleveland does,” says Bruton. “If the Browns eat most of Mayfield’s $18.9 million contract, Tampa Bay could acquire him for one of its mid-draft picks, perhaps No. 133 overall.”
Brady’s Future After 2022 is Uncertain
As noted by Bruton, the Buccaneers could find Tom Brady’s potential successor in Mayfield. Brady is on the verge of entering the final year of his deal with the Bucs after announcing his return in March.
“What Tampa Bay doesn’t need to do is select a quarterback prospect,” says Bruton. “With Tom Brady’s return, the team is set for at least one more season, but it doesn’t have much in the pipeline with Blaine Gabbert and Kyle Trask.
With Brady at the helm again, Tampa Bay should have a late first-round pick in 2023, but the Bucs can buy low now on Baker Mayfield and give themselves a roadmap to Brady’s eventual (maybe?) successor.”
Mayfield is also on the verge of entering the final year of his deal during the 2022 season. The 27-year-old is due $18.9 million for this upcoming season.
While that salary is clearly way too high for a possible backup quarterback, if the Browns eat some of that salary, a possible trade then becomes desirable.
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Mayfield’s Up-and-Down Career Gives Hope
It wasn’t too long ago that Mayfield led the Browns to their first playoff win in 26 years. Furthermore, he led the team within a score of reaching the AFC Championship Game.
The four-year veteran is on his way out of Cleveland after they acquired three-time Pro Bowl QB Deshaun Watson and handed him the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
Although Mayfield isn’t an elite quarterbacks by any means, he has shown off his potential in the past. Outside of reviving a fledgling Browns franchise, he previously threw for an NFL-record 27 touchdown passes as a rookie in 2018. According to Pro Football Focus, Mayfield’s 81.6 offensive grade during the 2020 season ranked 14th among all starting quarterbacks in the league.
Mayfield struggled through a rough 2021 campaign as he played through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. According to PFF, Mayfield’s offensive grade declined to 63.6, ranking 33rd among all quarterbacks with at least 100 drop-backs.
The 27-year-old quarterback isn’t an elite quarterback by any means. However, in the right system, he can be a successful quarterback. He proved that in Cleveland when he led the team to a playoff berth a few years after they went winless the season before he was drafted.
Beyond this season, the Buccaneers’ quarterback situation is an uncertain one. Brady may retire or could possibly sign with another team. The other options are an unproven Kyle Trask and Blaine Gabbert, who hasn’t started a game since the 2018 season.
If the Browns are willing to lower their expectations on a trade demand for Mayfield and eat a portion of his salary, there’s no reason why the Buccaneers shouldn’t pull off a trade for the disgruntled quarterback.
Trade Scenario Sees Bucs Land Tom Brady’s ‘Eventual Successor’