Baker Mayfield is staying with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after agreeing to a three-year contract worth up to US$115-million, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement, which includes US$50-million guaranteed, had not been finalized.
The Tampa Bay Times reported Mayfield will receive US$30-million in 2024 and US$30-million in 2025, with US$20-million guaranteed in the second year of the deal. The quarterback’s salary would increase to US$40-million in 2026, the newspaper said.
Mayfield, who has played with four teams over the past three seasons, resurrected his career in 2023 after joining the Bucs on a one-year contract following the retirement of Tom Brady and leading the team to its third consecutive NFC South title.
The No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 draft threw for a career-best 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns while cutting down on costly mistakes that undermined previous stints with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.
Mayfield and Dak Prescott were the only NFL quarterbacks to throw for at least 28 TDs while tossing 10 or fewer interceptions last season.
The 28-year-old Mayfield also threw for over 300 yards and three TDs in each of Tampa Bay’s two postseason games – an NFC wild-card win over Philadelphia and a loss to Detroit in the divisional round.
Mayfield agreed to terms two days after Tampa Bay finalized a two-year, US$52-million contract with star receiver Mike Evans, who also passed up an opportunity to test his worth in free agency. Evans is coming off his 10th straight 1,000-yard season and tied Tyreek Hill for the league lead in TD receptions with 13.
By signing Mayfield and Evans before the start of free agency, Bucs general manager Jason Licht can now turn his attention to trying to reach a long-term contract with All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield, who’s guaranteed a one-year, US$17.12-million for next season under the franchise tag.