When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opted to use the franchise tag on Antoine Winfield Jr., some Bucs fans might have hit the panic button, thinking that this meant that Baker Mayfield was on his way out. Well, there's some good news trending out there.
Yes, there is more good news that doesn't include the Winfield tag or the Mike Evans contract.
Latest Baker Mayfield contract updates after franchise tag deadline
It appears that Baker Mayfield may be remaining with the Buccaneers as well. According to Aaron Jacobson of The Pat and Aaron Show on 953 WDAE, Mayfield and the Bucs have reportedly agreed on a new contract that will be announced on Wednesday.
I’m hearing rumblings that the Bucs and Baker Mayfield deal is essentially done and the #Bucs and Baker will be announcing on Wednesday.
— Aaron Jacobson (@JacobsonOnAir) March 5, 2024
While it still seems like the most likely outcome to this situation is Baker back in Tampa Bay, Greg Auman insisted the breaks need to be pumped for now.
"Nothing to that" is the exact response I got when checking on a potential deal for Mayfield. "Like, nothing." Still could easily happen in the next week, but hasn't happened yet. https://t.co/XtxCxx5Vaw
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 5, 2024
Mayfield was the first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and spent the first four years of his career there. He got the Browns to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade in 2020 but the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson in the 2022 offseason and that made Mayfield expendable. He was traded to Carolina where he flamed out and then spent the final few weeks of the 2022 season with the Rams.
The Bucs took a chance on Mayfield last year when it looked like he was on his way to being labeled as a bust. It paid off well for both sides, as the former first overall pick revitalized his career by throwing for 4,000 yards for the first time in his career and helped lead the Bucs to a division title and playoff victory.
No one had the Bucs winning the NFC South last offseason and many people thought they'd be one of the worst teams in the league. Mayfield came through though and the team won the division, blew out the Eagles in the Wild Card round, and came close to advancing to the NFC Championship Game. Fans couldn't have really asked for more from Mayfield during his inaugural year in Tampa.
Getting both Mayfield and Evans back would be a massive win for the Buccaneers and let's hope they can win yet another division title in 2024.