3 dark horse landing spots for Baker Mayfield if he leaves Buccaneers

It's no secret that Baker Mayfield would like to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He's made that pretty clear.

"Obviously I want to be back there," Mayfield said recently of Tampa Bay. "I think it's mutual, so we'll see what happens. But, yeah, one day at a time."

Ideally, Mayfield would like to build on the success that the Buccaneers had this past season when they advanced to the Divisional Round of postseason play.

"We had a really special locker room, and that's what ... made it special," Mayfield said. "So for me, it's evaluating the options and see where that takes me. But at the same time, the key pieces have got to be back for us. We want another shot at it. Obviously we had decent amount of success, but I know the guys are hungry to get back and achieve more."

But, just because Mayfield wants to remain in Tampa Bay doesn't necessarily mean that he will. The NFL is a business after all. So, with that in mind, here's a look at three potential landing spots for Mayfield if he does ultimately leave the Bucs.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have an enormous decision to make regarding the quarterback position this offseason, and perhaps Mayfield could factor into their plan.

Incumbent quarterback Kirk Cousins is set for free agency, and at 35 years old, he could be seeking one final big-money deal. In that scenario, the possibility exists that the Vikings might not want to pay as much for Cousins' services as another team.

If that were to occur, Mayfield, 28, could potentially represent a [somewhat] cheaper -- and substantially younger -- option. Those are both pretty good reasons for Minnesota to consider such a move.

After missing the playoffs last season, the Vikings will be looking to bounce back and get back to the postseason, and Mayfield just showed in Tampa Bay that he has the ability to lead a team to the playoffs during his first season with a franchise.