As contract talks between Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to loom over the offseason, one question continues to surface: What would a high-end extension actually look like? While quarterback contracts have skyrocketed in recent years, Mayfield’s situation is unique. He has established himself as Tampa Bay’s franchise quarterback and has played at a Pro Bowl level since arriving in Tampa, but he doesn’t possess the lengthy résumé of players such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Joe Burrow.
Still, that doesn’t mean a new deal would come cheaply. If negotiations were to land on the higher end of the spectrum, a contract averaging between $50 million and $53 million annually feels realistic.
A four-year extension worth roughly $200 million to $212 million could be the range both sides eventually work toward. At first glance, that may seem like “too much” to the average fan. Dak Prescott currently leads the NFL at $60 million annually, while Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, and Josh Allen all sit around the $55 million mark. Justin Herbert earns $52.5 million per season, while Jared Goff and Brock Purdy are both at $53 million annually.
Those are likely the contracts Mayfield’s camp would focus on during negotiations. The strongest argument for a deal in that range is simple: Mayfield has played at a comparable level to several quarterbacks earning north of $50 million annually. Since arriving in Tampa Bay, he has revitalized his career, earned Pro Bowl recognition, and helped guide the Buccaneers through the post-Tom Brady era.
His first-half performance last season only strengthened that case.
For much of the year, Mayfield was playing some of the best football of his career and was generating legitimate MVP buzz. Had he maintained that level of play over an entire season, there would likely be little debate about whether he belongs among the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks. That doesn’t mean he’ll reach the very top of the market. Mahomes, Burrow, and Allen have either won MVP awards, reached Super Bowls, or consistently produced elite seasons over multiple years. Mayfield has been very good in Tampa, but his body of work still falls short of that tier. Instead, a more realistic comparison may be quarterbacks like Jared Goff, Brock Purdy, and Justin Herbert.
Those deals provide a blueprint for what a premium Mayfield extension could look like. He’s younger than Goff was when he signed his latest contract and has shown the ability to elevate an offense when healthy. At the same time, the Buccaneers could point to the inconsistency that surfaced during the second half of last season as a reason to keep his number below the league’s elite earners. Ultimately, if Mayfield and the Buccaneers agree to a high-end extension, don’t be surprised if the final figure lands somewhere around $51 million or $52 million per year.
That would place him among the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks without requiring the Buccaneers to completely reset it.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: What could a high-end deal look like for Baker Mayfield with the Bucs?
Reporting by Ashlie Abrahams, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ashlie Abrahams, Buccaneers Wire | USA TODAY Network
