Now that the offseason has arrived, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can finally get to work doing the things we've been speculating about for weeks.
At the top of a busy offseason list is the task of re-signing Baker Mayfield. He came to the Bucs on a $8.5M deal last season that paid for itself a few times over by the time all was said and done. Baker turned in a career year, setting new highs in almost every meaningful passing category and leading the Bucs to the NFC Divisional Round.
It wasn't always a smooth ride, but the overwhelming consensus is that Baker deserves at least a few more years as the Bucs quarterback, if not more. Rather than tanking for a top draft pick to find a franchise quarterback, Jason Licht simply signed a former No. 1 overall pick and let him bake.
Now comes the tough part, as the Bucs need to figure out a way to keep Baker without breaking the bank while avoiding a nightmare scenario where he leaves.
Potential Baker Mayfield contract details revealed by NFL insider
NFL insider Jonathan Jones broke down what a potential deal for Mayfield could look like based on what he's been hearing from league sources. Nothing is official, nor have the Bucs extended an offer, but when they do Jones believes it will be in the neighborhood of three years, $75 million.
It also sounds like the Tampa Bay still has the inside track to re-sign Baker, something that became a common refrain during Super Bowl media week.
"A reasonable starting point, according to league sources, would be a tick above Geno Smith's three-year, $75 million deal with Seattle last year that allowed for a Seahawks out after one season," Jones reported. "Would anyone else in the NFL be willing to pay Mayfield that? Perhaps not. But he wants to be in Tampa and the Buccaneers want him back. And that deal, according to league sources, is "fair."
Jones pointed out that Monday is a key day for the Bucs. If Jason Licht can get his three bigggest free agents under contract, it will go a long way in freeing up cap space this offseason. Baker, along with Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr., have void years that would be due on Monday unless new deals are reached.
That's tangential, though, as the real takeaway is that the Bucs already have incentive to reach a long-term contract extension with Baker and something could happen as soon as Monday. If it does, a deal around the $75 milion mark feels like another bargain for all the good it would do for Tampa Bay moving forward.