Insider expands on why Baker Mayfield re-signed with Buccaneers

It was previously suggested that quarterback Baker Mayfield may have been disappointed by his market had he tested free agency rather than agreed to re-sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the start of the NFL's legal tampering portion of the process. 

League insider Mike Florio expanded on that take during a recent edition of his "Pro Football Talk Live" program. 

"This works out perfectly for the Buccaneers because, for the second straight year, the other teams out there didn’t want him," Florio said about Mayfield's situation, per the JoeBucsFan website. "They want somebody younger. [Baker] is only 28. They want somebody younger."

Mayfield, who turns 29 years old in April, flopped badly with the Carolina Panthers during the 2022 season before he signed a one-year "prove it" contract with Tampa Bay in March 2023. He then helped the Buccaneers claim the NFC South division title and earn a playoff victory before he and the club agreed to a three-year deal that reportedly has a maximum value of $115M with $30M guaranteed in 2024 and $30M (with $20M guaranteed) in 2025. 

Despite such values, it's believed Tampa Bay could consider moving on from Mayfield as soon as next winter if he either plays poorly during the 2024 campaign or suffers a noteworthy physical setback. He famously played through a serious injury to his non-throwing shoulder while with the Cleveland Browns during the 2021 season.

While Mayfield had been linked with teams such as the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots earlier this month, Florio hinted that no other front offices valued what the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft meant to the 2023 Buccaneers as much as Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles. Both Licht and Bowles routinely praised Mayfield's leadership and relationships with his teammates over the past 12 months. 

"Tampa Bay puts a value on that," Florio added during the show segment. "Other teams apparently didn’t. Tampa Bay did. And that makes it even more of a bargain for the Buccaneers — to pay $33M a year on a three-year deal for a guy who comes in and plays the position at the high level and is one of the best, current natural leaders at the quarterback position in football." 

According to ESPN, Mayfield ended this past regular season ranked 12th in the league among qualified players with a 94.6 passer rating, ninth with 4,044 passing yards and seventh with 28 touchdowns through the air. He could be considered an absolute steal at the position by this time next year if he produces similar or even better numbers for the Buccaneers this coming fall.