Baker Mayfield finally got the contract he deserves after balling out last season, guiding the Buccaneers to the divisional round of the playoffs. Former Heisman winner who is finally living up to the potential he showed during his Oklahoma days, signed a lucrative $100 million deal to stay in Tampa for three more years. Despite getting the bag for his efforts, there is speculation that he could have gotten more, given the nature of the QB market in the NFL.
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However, Baker is not sweating that he is getting less than many other QBs who were on a similar level as him and put up similar stats last season.
During Tampa’s press conference, Baker spoke with the media for the first time since putting pen to paper, where JP Peterson of Fan Stream Sports raised a question that given the terms of the contract, and the fact that an older QB like Cousins is getting more than a young guy like himself, if has left some money on the table to help the franchise give contract extensions to his teammates. Baker responded by saying his focus since the loss was to create a roster capable of winning trophies and the first focus was to get all the key players back, which requires everyone to do their part.
He feels this kind of money is not something you get to see every day and he is more than satisfied with the contract. It’s something for which he had to pay his dues during his professional journey. Comparing and whining about another player’s contract will amount to no good. Success on the pitch matters more to him and knowing he is playing his part towards the betterment of the team is truly special. He said,
” For me I said it immediately after our loss in the Detroit game, to build a winning team and to have a lot of key pieces that we needed back to continue this run and improve it, some sacrifices have to be made. Now listen, this is life-changing money and I am not gonna act like otherwise. It’s something that I have worked extremely hard for over the years and many years of football, so I am grateful for it and there is nothing to be ashamed about.“
Baker Mayfield signed a 3-year, $100,000,000 contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The contract includes a $28,875,000 signing bonus with $50 million in guaranteed money and an average annual salary of $33.3 million as per Spotrac. Not bad for a shot-caller who was labelled as a 1st round bust. While the former Oklahoma QB loves the idea of playing in Tampa and is satisfied with that kind of money, his GM gave him another positive point of staying in Florida.
GM Jason Licht Cracks Up Baker Mayfield
While Baker is happy to get life-changing money, his GM Jason Licht asserted that getting this much in Tampa is better than getting similar in other places because Florida has no state taxes, something which is their major selling point while wooing talented players. The little quip from Licht gave Mayfield a good laugh when the press conference was getting too serious.
It looks like the Heisman Winner has a great relationship with the front office because from the beginning they made him comfortable and welcomed him with open arms. He was grateful to get the opportunity, and this contract shows they trust him going forward and see him as their future.
Baker might be happy to hear that his reliable weapon and team’s star receiver Mike Evans too signed a 2-year extension to stay in Florida. They have also made some good moves during the free agency such as signing Safety Jordan Whitehead and re-signing of DT Greg Gaines, Kicker Chase McLaughlin, Rusher Chase Edmonds, and Linebacker Lavonte David. They have placed a franchise tag on Antoine Winfield Jr, and his contract extension remains a priority. However, the loss of Dave Canales as an Offensive Coordinator will be a big loss as his play-calling got the best out of Mayfield. Although the team have replaced him with Liam Coen who spent a brief time with the Heisman winner during his stint with the Rams.
