The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did the right thing when they extended Baker Mayfield earlier in the week. It needed to be done before the season started, but interestingly enough, the QB had no idea that a new contract was coming.
Mayfield made it clear when training camp started that he was not going to engage in negotiations for a new extension. His priority was getting ready for the season ahead. When it came down to actually getting a deal done, Mayfield had no idea; in fact, he was watching a movie with his kids.
Jason Licht and the Buccaneers started having conversations last week during the period between final cuts and the gap before the start of the season. Still, Mayfield claims he was in the dark. Until the call during "Cars" that changed everything.
Baker Mayfield inks new extension with Tampa Bay Buccaneers faster than Lightning McQueen
Mayfield was doing what leaders do; he was keeping his mouth shut, putting his head down, and letting the process of a new deal sit on the back burner until he was ready. His agent thought differently.
"Apparently they engaged in talks last week that I did not know about until Monday about 6 p.m."Baker Mayfield
Mayfield had one caveat for his agent. If they brought something to the table that he actually thought Mayfield should agree to, then call him. If not, he wasn't negotiating any more this year. And, of course, the phone finally rang.
Mayfield and several players were at a theater watching the Disney classic with their families when his phone buzzed, and he had to step out. When he walked back in, he had a new contract and a new sense of direction.
Watching Cars is ironic in many ways. Like the animated lead, Mayfield has been arrogant throughout his entire NFL career, and that led to higher expectations that the QB wasn't prepared to deliver at previous stops. Like Lightning McQueen, Mayfield needed a dose of reality, a series of bad miscalculations that finally humbled him to the point where he could start to develop as a QB without the distractions of his own ego.
Licht may have made the best decision of his GM tenure. Mayfield is the right guy for the Buccaneers. He is a pillar in the community along with his wife, Emily. In the locker room, he is a leader both vocally and by example, but he hasn't grown up just yet.
He plays like a kid in a pickup game who gets mad at the guy he picked first to be on his team for dropping a pass, while supporting the guy he picked last for doing the same thing. The expectations he has for his teammates are high, but not as high as the ones he has set for himself.
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