Breaking: Tampa Bay Bucs Agrees Deal To Sign $120 million Star With Huge Signing Bonus

It seems Baker Mayfield is about to get paid. A lot.

Spotrac, which studies professional sports contracts, is projecting the former Oklahoma star and current Tampa Bay quarterback, is on pace for a massive contract extension.

Sourcing industry trends and other NFL resources, Spotrac projects that Mayfield — who played for the Bucs this season under a one-year contract worth $4 million — will receive a four-year, $120 million deal, which will include a $53 million signing bonus and a total of $85 million “practically guaranteed.”

According to Spotrac’s ranking of current contracts, that would be the 15th-largest QB contract in the NFL.

“Baker’s comeback has been one of the more enjoyable storylines of the past few seasons, with a playoff win this past seaosn with the Bucs,” Spotrac writes. “Tampa Bay is trying to keep Baker off the open markets at the final hour.

“We’ve projected a contract that essentially plays like a cap-adjusted version of Geno Smith’s deal in Seattle, while using a double bonus sstructure to keep cap hits insanely low over the next two seasons.”

Mayfield’s base salary for 2024 is projected at $1.25 million, and his 2025 base is projected at $1.75 million. Spotrac also projects prorated bonuses of $5 million next year (for a $6.25 million cap hit) and another $5 million plus an option bonus in 2025 (for a cap it of $11.75 million. Then in 2026, he projects to receive a $32 million base salary plus another $10 million in bonuses, and in 2027 his base projects to $35 million plus the $10 million in bonuses. His cap hit those last two years will be $42 million and $45 million, according to Spotrac’s projection.

Mayfield, 29, was the No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2018 after winning the Heisman Trophy in 2017 and leading the Sooners to two appearances in the College Football Playoff and three straight Big 12 Conference championships.

He originally signed a four-year, $32.7 million contract with the Browns, which included a $21.8 million signing bonus.

The Browns traded him to Carolina in 2022, and the Panthers released him. He had a short but dramatic stint with the Los Angeles Rams before the Bucs signed him prior to the 2023 season.

Mayfield, who has authored two career playoff victories with the Browns and the Bucs, just turned in his best season as a pro, with 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns, both career-bests.

In six NFL seasons, Mayfield has thrown for 20,332 yards, 130 touchdowns and 74 interceptions. He’s completed 61.9 percent of his passes with an efficiency rating of 88.1. In three of his six seasons, he’s posted a passer efficiency rating of 93 or better.

Todd Bowles thinks it was a ‘good decision’ Bucs OL coaches left this offseason

The departures don’t seem to have weighed much on Todd Bowles’ mind.

A lot of attention is being paid to moves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can make to retain the top talent it has, but most of the offseason has been defined by folks leaving.

Dave Canales is the most notable loss, leaving his position as offensive coordinator to become head coach of the Carolina Panthers. It was an absolutely wild ascension for a guy who was a first-year playcaller last season, but one that serves as a feather in the cap of Jason Licht and the Bucs.

He wasn’t the only coach that left, nor was he the only one to got to a division rival. Offensive line coaches Joe Gilbert and Harold Goodwin both bolted to join Canales’ staff in Carolina. The optics of it aren’t particularly great, but head coach Todd Bowles doesn’t seem too bothered over how things played out.

Todd Bowles says it’s ‘good’ Buccaneers OL coaches left for Panthers

While speaking at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Bowles commented on the loss of Gilbert and Goodwin but endorsed their decisions as good ones to have made.

“They had a good relationship with Dave. They had contracts offered, but they wanted to keep their continuity together with Dave, so they went to Carolina,” Bowles said. “I’m good with that because when you get a new offensive coordinator, you want him to be comfortable with the guys that he has around him, so it was a good decision.”

To be clear, the contracts for both coaches had expired at the end of the season effectively making them free agents.

Goodwin was an assistant head coach under Bowles having spent the last five seasons in Tampa Bay. Gilbert had also been with the Bucs for five years, with both coaches helping win a Super Bowl back in 2020.

That being said, the offensive line hasn’t been much to write home about over the last few seasons. Injuries have played a huge role in that, but it’s been a source of frustration for everyone as the run game suffered from a lack of production upfront and pass protection even started to breakdown late in the year.

Bowles noting that it was a ‘good decision’ seems to be spot on. The two coaches get to head to Carolina and get fresh starts with a guy they formed a good relationship with, and the Bucs were able to move on and see if a changing of the guard helps fix things on the offensive line.