New Contract Details for Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield Revealed
There were worries from Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans and pundits alike that wide receiver Mike Evans and quarterback Baker Mayfield could leave Tampa Bay in free agency. As it turned out, neither of them would hit the open market.
Almost a week after the Bucs agreed to a deal with Evans, Tampa Bay came to an agreement with Baker Mayfield on a three-year deal worth up to $100 million. The seemingly sees Mayfield take over as the Bucs' signal caller for the next three years, and that's ideally what will happen — but it isn't quite that simple, either, and there are benefits to both sides when it comes to this contract.
The $100 million deal has half of it guaranteed, and $10 million of that is guaranteed against injury. Essentially, that means that $40 million of Mayfield's deal is truly guaranteed, and it becomes $50 million if he doesn't get hurt. He's set to get $30 million this upcoming season, $30 million in 2025 ($20 million of which will be guaranteed) and then $40 million for 2026 — as such, the deal is functionally a two-year deal for $60 million, which FOX Sports' Greg Auman explains here:
This works well for both Tampa Bay and Mayfield. On Mayfield's side of things, he has the opportunity to earn a lot of money by continuing to play well, and he has the potential for three-year stability and then to earn up to $15 million in incentives. Consequently, if he really plays well these next three years, he could set himself up for another big deal in 2027 and beyond.
The deal also works well for Jason Licht and the Bucs. The team has an out on the contract after two years, so there's no long-term commitment, and either outcome makes Mayfield cheaper than a franchise tag of $38 million would be. With the use of void years (which will certainly be tacked on), Mayfield's cap hit could be as low as $7 million for this year, which would allow the Bucs to make some more free agency moves to address depth and maybe get a few pieces here and there.
In the end, things worked out well for both parties. Mayfield was the last big domino to fall for the Bucs, and he'll get a chance to prove his worth while Tampa Bay can retain him on a good deal.
You can follow River Wells on Twitter @riverhwells.
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