By now everyone knows what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers top priorities are in free agency. The team needs to figure out a way to bring back three key players, the most important of whom is quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Tampa Bay took a gamble on Baker last year and it paid off better than anyone could have anticipated. Well, anyone outside of the Bucs front office, who bet on the former No. 1 overall pick bouncing back and reviving his career.
That’s exactly what he did, putting up career-highs in almost every important passing category an helping reset the culture and identity after losing Tom Brady last offseason. Most importantly he helped the Bucs answer the biggest quesiton of the post-Brady era: who would take over as the franchise quarterback?
It appears that he’s the guy, but now comes the part where the team needs to pay up to keep him and avoid a nightmare scenario where he leaves in fre
Baker Mayfield reportedly ‘isn’t a lock’ to re-sign with Buccaneers
The Atheltic’s Dianna Russini reported on Friday night that Mike Evans would be testing free agency and later followed that up with a report that Baker Mayfield is not a lock to return to Tampa Bay this offseason.
It sounds like things are much more tenable with Baker than they are with Evans, but hearing that they might both be gone isn’t a fun thing to ponder.
The QB market all starts with Kirk Cousins.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 2, 2024
Minnesota wants to keep him but they may have to fend off Atlanta, Denver, or possibly even Washington. Plus, Baker isn't a lock back to Tampa and Justin Fields soft market for now.
Here's what I'm hearing: https://t.co/Nzod31U0n6
Russini backs up an earlier report that indicated the Atlanta Falcons could be a landing spot for Mayfield if the Bucs fail to get something done with him. Specifically, Mayfield is being described as a consolation prize if the Falcons pursuit of Kirk Cousins comes up empty.
“A consolation prize for Atlanta? How about Mayfield? I expect the Falcons to try to sign him if they miss out on Cousins or if Tampa Bay can’t get a deal done with Mayfield. The Bucs have offered a new deal to Mayfield, but they’re still at an early stage in their negotiations,” Russini wrote.
Much like the report about Evans testing free agency, this stuff about Baker and the Falcons isn’t surprising. It also shouldn’t deter any Bucs fans form having confidence that Tampa Bay will find a way to bring Baker back in free agency.
Things might be dicier with Evans, but all of the noise about the Falcons might end up being nothing more than that. If nothing else, the Bucs view Baker as a priority this offseason where it sounds like Falcons see him as a secondary option — which says all you need to know about the chances he gets poached.