Did Baker Mayfield just seal the deal about his future in Tampa Bay?

Baker Mayfield has endured an up-and-down career since being drafted with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft.

While Mayfield broke the all-time rookie passing touchdown record (at the time) in 2018 with 27 touchdowns, he only spent three more seasons in Cleveland before splitting time with Carolina and Los Angeles in 2022.

While Mayfield broke the all-time rookie passing touchdown record (at the time) in 2018 with 27 touchdowns, he only spent three more seasons in Cleveland before splitting time with Carolina and Los Angeles in 2022.

In the ensuing season, Mayfield proved he can still be an above-average starter in the NFL in his first season as a Buc. As Tampa Bay's QB1, Mayfield completed 64.3% of his passes for 4,044 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, ten interceptions, and a 94.6 passer rating, while being named as NFL's 2023 Most Improved Player of the Year and leading the Bucs to the NFC Divisional round.

Baker Mayfield's "dirty laundry" comment is a clear indication of his future with Buccaneers

This offseason, Mayfield was rewarded with a three-year, $105 million contract from Tampa Bay in free agency, keeping the quarterback a Buc through the 2027-2028 season. Not only does that give Mayfield security in the league, but it gives the seven-year quarterback a different outlook on how the start of his career panned out.

“You’re having a lot more fun when you’re not getting shipped off to different places like a piece of dirty laundry, I’ll tell you that," Mayfield said on the Mike Calta Show. "So when I got embraced in Tampa, it made a world of difference."

Behind a resurgent debut season from Mayfield that ended in the NFC Divisional round, Tampa Bay has set Mayfield up for success in the future seasons. In addition to a skill-position group headlined by Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Cade Otton, Rachaad White, and Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay improved their offensive line drastically, namely with the addition of first-round pick Graham Barton.

Outside of football, Mayfield and his family seem sold on the idea of making Tampa Bay a long-term place to stay. Per GulfLive, the Mayfields are preparing to make Tampa their full-time home where they can raise their three-month-old daughter, Kova Jade.

“We truly love [Tampa] so much. I’m a proud born and raised Texan, and we’re going to pick up our spot and try to sell it in Austin and become full-time Floridians now. I mean we just fell in love with it and just the lifestyle down there, it’s so laidback. I think the community is unbelievable,” Mayfield said.

As important as a contract, coaching staff, team success, income tax, and more is to a player, the off-field questions are just as impactful for players like Mayfield. In all likelihood, would Mayfield really want to leave Tampa Bay for a different team if that entails leaving the place Mayfield sees as an "unbelievable community"?

With the three-year contract he signed this offseason, Mayfield will enter free agency after the 2027-2028 season, when he turns 31 years old. Add in the fact that his daughter Kova Jade will be three and a half, and it seems likely that Mayfield will remain in Tampa Bay for the foreseeable future.

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