Baker Mayfield Gets Massive Pay Day if Buccaneers Win NFC South
Former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield bet on himself over the offseason when he signed a one-year/$4 million guaranteed deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The contract, which could be worth as much as $8.5 million depending on incentives, has been a bargain for the Buccaneers in the first season without Tom Brady.
The two parties have benefitted from each other as Mayfield is setting himself up for a sizable extension in the coming months while his team currently sits in first place in the NFC South. He's been at his best in divisional games as he's compiled a 3-1 overall record against Atlanta (1-1), New Orleans (1-0), and Carolina (1-0) while completing 80/132 passes (60.6%) for 867 yards with seven touchdowns to three interceptions and a score on the ground.
Following a home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Buccaneers will conclude their regular season against the Saints and Panthers. If the team can take care of business, Mayfield is set to cash in as he holds a $1 million bonus for guiding Tampa Bay to a franchise-record third consecutive NFC South title. He's already accumulated $1 million worth of incentives for playing time and can earn $1.5 million for performance-based incentives as well as another $1 million if the team advances to the playoffs.
The Panthers have already been eliminated from contention and the Buccaneers can lock up the division with a victory over New Orleans in Week 17. That would move the franchise to 4-1 in the NFC South while holding the tiebreaker over the Saints and Falcons.
Mayfield has been heating up as of late as Tampa Bay has won four of its past six games, including three straight. He's thrown 16 touchdowns to four interceptions over his past eight starts and is coming off the second-best game of his NFL career where he completed 22/28 passes for 381 yards with four touchdowns to no interceptions in a win on the road at Green Bay.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Buccaneers and Mayfield engage in extension talks in the near future. He's completed 296/466 passes for 3,315 yards with 24 touchdowns to eight interceptions through his first 14 starts with the franchise.
Tampa Bay will be looking for its fourth consecutive victory when the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to Raymond James Stadium on Sunday afternoon. A win would move the Buccaneers to over .500 for the first time since the middle of October.
READ MORE: Buccaneers' OC Compares Baker Mayfield to Seahawks' Geno Smith
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