Are Buccaneers saving franchise tag for Baker Mayfield?

Before a report from last week indicated that Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht is essentially saving the franchise tag for safety Antoine Winfield Jr., most knowledgeable individuals assumed Licht would use the tag on Baker Mayfield if the quarterback remained on track to reach free agency through the final minutes before next Tuesday's deadline for teams to use their tags. 

Mayfield hasn't put pen to paper on a deal with the Buccaneers, so Licht was asked during a Tuesday news conference at the scouting combine in Indianapolis if he'd let Mayfield hit the open market in March. 

"We want Baker to be a Buc, so we’re trying to make that happen," Licht responded, according to the JoeBucsFan website. 

Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan then asked Licht if the executive could "imagine Baker Mayfield not being back with the Bucs" for at least one more season. 

"We want Baker back," Licht answered. "Trust me, I can’t go two blocks in Tampa without someone asking me. And I totally understand it. He’s been great for our team. He’s been great for the organization."

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles insisted during a Tuesday appearance on the NFL Network "Good Morning Football" program that keeping Mayfield is "an extremely high priority" for the organization. 

The JoeBucsFan story noted that Bowles was "far, far too at ease for a head coach worried (allegedly) about his quarterback position" throughout Tuesday. 

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk pointed out that Tampa Bay "should be able to keep Winfield, Mayfield and star wide receiver Mike Evans" thanks to the league's salary-cap explosion.  

"Baker meant a lot to this team and this fan base and this town, and I think we meant a lot to him," Licht explained during his comments about Mayfield's future. "I think it was a perfect marriage...I know he wants to be a Buc. We want him to be a Buc, so that’s usually a good starting point. Same could be said for a lot of these guys." 

Licht, Bowles, Buccaneers senior advisor Bruce Arians and Hall of Famer Ronde Barber are among individuals with strong ties to the club who seemingly aren't losing sleep about Mayfield's status even though the deadline for the franchise tag is within sight. 

Perhaps Mayfield and Evans are truly a "package deal" and are closer to committing their futures to Tampa Bay than outsiders realize.