Buccaneers move on from Baker Mayfield in way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have everything figured out when it comes to the quarterback position. 

Baker Mayfield is entering a contract year, but the organization hasn’t been shy in their desire to keep him around long-term as their franchise quarterback.

Still, some are of the opinion that rather than making a major financial commitment into Mayfield that will likely pay him over $50 million annually based on the current market, they should press the reset button and add a younger quarterback on a rookie contract. 

An early mock draft looking ahead to next offseason explores the rookie quarterback path for Tampa Bay. 

Buccaneers replace Baker Mayfield with Drew Mestemaker in 2027 NFL mock draft 

Ryan Wilson, a draft analyst at CBS Sports, put out his way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft. It’s considered a very deep quarterback class, and Wilson has six quarterbacks being drafted in the first round. 

One of the teams selecting a signal caller is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are projected to draft Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker.

Wilson has the Bucs slotted at the No. 14 overall pick, which would mean they failed to make the playoffs and likely had another record below .500.

In that nightmare scenario, Todd Bowles would almost certainly be fired. It would also make sense, after back-to-back losing seasons, why a new regime might balk at a massive contract extension for Mayfield and opt to choose their own guy instead.

Mestemaker is an intriguing quarterback prospect. He stands at 6-foot-4, and has a rocket arm. He threw for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns last season at North Texas, while completing 68% of his passes.

“Mestemaker is a big-armed QB who layers the ball well on downfield throws but can also step on it when he needs to fit it in a tight window. He shows the ability to get through his reads while standing tall in the pocket, though he'll need to limit his interceptions,” wrote Wilson.

Mestemaker is now preparing for a major jump in competition after transferring from North Texas to Oklahoma State. If he can build on his strong 2025 season, he’s poised to be an early draft pick.

While it’s an interesting thought experiment, it would take a disastrous season from Mayfield for the team to not bring him back. In fact, it’s not out of the question that he gets his contract extension this offseason to prevent him from even sniffing the open market.

Outsiders might be a bit conflicted regarding Baker Mayfield, but there are no doubts in the organization that he is their guy. Expect to see Mayfield leading the offense in Tampa Bay for years to come.

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