Although they opted not to franchise tag him, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be doing whatever it takes to retain Baker Mayfield this offseason.
While injuries and inconsistency submarined Mayfield's once-promising tenure with the Cleveland Browns, the quarterback's unforeseen return to prominence was one of the best storylines of the 2023 campaign. Mayfield and the Bucs now must work together to add another chapter to their story in 2024 and potentially continue writing that tale well beyond next season.
Tampa should be thrilled to retain Mayfield after the quarterback rose from the ashes of a spiraling career and greatly exceeded expectations. Despite playing on a one-year "prove-it" style contract, Mayfield flashed the type of elite talent that led to him being picked atop the 2018 draft following a standout collegiate career.
Mayfield's combination of skill and leadership earned praise from coaches, staff and teammates alike. Head coach Todd Bowles bluntly stated the signal-caller "most definitely has" earned the right to continue starting, while general manager Jason Licht said that "[Mayfield is] that guy, he's the man" and wideout Chris Godwin said "we all love Baker and we have a lot of respect for him".
Although there is already a "mutual interest" in hammering out a Mayfield contract extension this offseason, there should be even more urgency on Tampa's side to get a deal done after reports surfaced that star wideout Mike Evans is waiting to see how the franchise handles his quarterback's contract before making a free agency decision of his own.
It seems that letting Mayfield walk could result in the Bucs losing both their starting quarterback and future Hall of Fame receiver at the same time. It's a nightmare scenario that would almost certainly result in the Bucs plummeting from a fringe Super Bowl contender to bottom-dweller almost instantaneously.
To avoid that situation, the Buccaneers should cut Mayfield checks commensurate with how well he played last year and then work to lock up Evans on a long-term deal to keep the battery together for several more years. Once this is accomplished, Tampa Bay will have solidified itself as the team to beat in the NFC South with a chance of winning it all as early as next season.
