Analyst offers $50 million Baker Mayfield Buccaneers contract prediction
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Analyst offers $50 million Baker Mayfield Buccaneers contract prediction originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
When Baker Mayfield signed his contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a couple of seasons ago, his $33 million APY deal felt like a steal.
Well, now Baker is set to play on the final year of his contract in 2026, and after two division titles and two Pro Bowls in three seasons, the price continues to go up.
If Mayfield has a bounce-back 2026, then the Buccaneers should be expecting a big contract to be coming Baker's way...if they want to keep him.
And NFL.com's Kevin Patra thinks he knows where the ballpark is for a Baker extension.
"Mayfield’s contract now becomes the biggest question of the offseason," Patra wrote. "The club sounds willing to give the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback a raise to keep him from playing out the final year of his contract, but how high will the price go? Mayfield’s current pact is worth $33.33 million per year. Hitting the $50 million mark feels like a given at this stage for a QB who has kept the franchise afloat."
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Will Buccaneers extend Baker?
Well, they have to ask themselves a couple of questions first.
Do they see Baker as the long-term solution? Is he worth $50 million APY, and can they fit that into the salary cap? And lastly, if they don't, do they see a quarterback out there who can get more out of this current group? Or do they go the rookie route in the draft?
All of those options appear to be on the table, and if it were me, I'd be extending Baker because we know how hard it is to find a genuine franchise quarterback. And Mayfield is exactly that.
It will be interesting to see how it will play out over the coming 12 months.
