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'Ball's in Their Court' Says Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield About Free Agency

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to want quarterback Baker Mayfield back, and he wants to come back.
David Harrison|
'Ball's in Their Court' Says Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield About Free Agency
'Ball's in Their Court' Says Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield About Free Agency

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It's nice when a team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers want a player to return and that player is public about his desire to do so.

That's the case right now between the Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield who helped the team surprise everyone by winning the NFC South and reaching the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs before losing to the Detroit Lions.

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Now, with free agency right around the corner Tampa Bay has several players with decisions to make. While receiver Mike Evans is the most popular name fans are calling for to be re-signed, Mayfield himself may be the most important because of his influence and position.

As the quarterback continues to share his love for the organization publicly, he also says his return to the team is in their hands. 

"There's a little give and take, but I love it there," Mayfield said to Jim Rome when asked about his status moving forward. "Going into free agency last year I had the mentality I'm gonna pick somewhere organizationally - top down - they do it well (and) they're about winning. (Because) at that point in my career, that's all I wanted to do was have a chance to win, and be in a good spot, and enjoy it again. So I'll have that mentality but obviously, I've seen what Tampa does firsthand. The ball's in their court right now, but yeah we would love to be back there."

In his one year with the Bucs, Mayfield threw for a career-high 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns while throwing just 10 interceptions. 

He also came just two yards shy of matching his career-high in rushing yards, earned his first Pro Bowl appearance, and won his second career playoff game.

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Spotrac projects Mayfield to earn $27.1 million in average annual value on a new four-year deal.

The Buccaneers are currently projected to have just over $37.5 million in salary cap space in the new league year.

Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 season.

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David Harrison
DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has been in sports media since 2015 using written, audio, and video media to cover athletes, coaches, and games. In addition to covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for BucsGameday and Locked On Bucs he also covers the Washington Commanders for Commander Country and Locked On Commanders and the Washington Wizards for Inside the Wizards. David also covers the NFL as a whole as one of the Friday hosts for Locked On NFL. He is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and previously spent 20 years as an active member of the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.

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