At the end of the 2023 season, those in the know assumed that Quarterback Baker Mayfield would get a new deal from the team, providing there were no unforseen issues with reacquiring wide receiver Mike Evans. That day has come and went, yet news on a potential Mayfield deal still hasn’t hit the press. That could mean several things, including what some would see as drama in the Bay.
First, the most likely scenario; the Buccaneers front office and Baker’s agent haven’t had detailed discussions regarding contract terms yet, seeing as the NFL Combine just concluded and NFL team representatives are just settling back into their respective offseason routines. General Manager Jason Licht, who has been very vocal about his desire to retain Mayfield, could very well have already decided Baker is going to stay in Tampa and the contract itself could be formality.
There is a couple instances in which the situation could get uncomfortable for Baker Mayfield. If the Bucs decide to draft a quarterback, especially in an earlier round, there’s a more than fair chance the incoming rookie prospect could show up to OTAs and create QB competition that could affect Mayfield in a couple different ways. Pressure makes diamonds, so there’s a possibility that a young signal caller competing in training camp could bring the best out of Mayfield, which would be a best case scenario.
Coincidentally, there is always the potential that drafting a pro ready QB would open the door to the younger player outplaying the veteran in OTAs, then they would be in a situation where Mayfield is being paid 35 to 40 million a year when a better suited QB is technically behind him on the depth chart. These reasons make the Bucs’ approach to Draft Day all that more important. All of this also hinges on when or even IF Tampa Bay’s front office reaches a deal with Mayfield on or before March 13th at 1pm, when the new league year officially begins.
An additional obvious wildcard is if another team, like the New England Patriots or division rival Atlanta Falcons reach out to offer Baker Mayfield their starting QB job and the Bucs are unwilling to meet or exceed the offer on the table. Both the aforementioned teams seemingly need a quarterback desperately, and New England already stated very clearly that they were “intrigued” with the idea of the veteran.
As of now, Bucs’ fans will have to believe “no news is good news” as the situation continues to unfold. We’ll stay locked into Buccaneers news as well as the other Florida sports stories as they happen here at Sports Club Florida!
THE CONVERSATION.