Did the Bucs overpay to keep Baker Mayfield?
Jan 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) gestures before the snap against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half of a 2024 NFC wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield took a gamble on one another last offseason, agreeing to a cheap one-year deal to see if the former No. 1 overall pick could finally live up to the hype, and if the Bucs could get a starting-caliber quarterback for a year without breaking the bank.
Mayfield responded with the best season of his NFL career so far, earning Pro Bowl honors and leading the Bucs to a third straight NFC South title, coming just eight points short of a berth in the NFC Championship Game.
He was rewarded with a three-year contract extension that could be worth up to $100 million, with $40 million in guaranteed money.
Though his play last season proved he deserved a massive raise, ESPN's Seth Walder says the Bucs overpaid to retain their starting quarterback:
Mayfield signed for a deal that can be one year for $40 million, two for $60 million or three for $100 million. It's a little more than I thought they should or would spend. Though he had a bounce-back season in which he ranked 18th in QBR, there's a reason Tampa Bay was able to sign Mayfield a year ago for just one year at $4 million.
If the Bucs had guaranteed something like $27 million -- what Geno Smith got a year ago -- would anyone have topped that? I would have liked to have seen Mayfield do it again -- with a new offensive coordinator after Dave Canales was hired as the Panthers' head coach -- before giving him $40 million.
It's possible the Bucs might have indeed been bidding against themselves, but after the success Mayfield had with them last season, it made sense for them to give him a sizable pay increase to make sure they kept him under center for the foreseeable future.
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This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Did the Bucs overpay to keep Baker Mayfield?