CLEVELAND, Ohio – Did you hear about Baker Mayfield? The former Browns QB agreed to a three-year, $115 million deal to stay with the Tampa Bay Bucs.
This is the free-agent football season. NFL contracts usually tell two different stories: The number from the agents, and the guaranteed dollars. Mayfield’s deal is $50 million guaranteed for two years, with a chance to make a lot more.
Either way, good for him. In terms of the inflated world of pro sports, Mayfield earned it. He came off two miserable seasons, partly due to injuries. That was especially true with the Browns in 2021.
Stories by Terry Pluto
In 2022, he showed some promise early with Carolina, got hurt and eventually drifted to the Rams. He had a few nice games with L.A., but not enough for the Rams to keep him as they awaited the return of the injured Matt Stafford.
Between 2021-22, Mayfield had an 8-16 record as a starter with 27 TD passes, 21 interceptions. He was headed down the road of being a career NFL backup, drifting from team to team. After all, he went through three teams in two years.
Next stop was Tampa Bay in 2023, where he replaced … Tom Brady? That’s right Tom Brady. In 2022, the Bucs were 8-9 in Brady’s final season.
The Bucs were 9-8 with Mayfield in 2023. He played all 17 games. Tampa Bay made the playoffs and beat Philadelphia 32-9 in the first round. For Tampa Bay, Mayfield had a season much like he did when helping the Browns to the 2020 playoffs and a first-round victory over Pittsburgh.
That 2020 Cleveland season, Mayfield threw 28 TD passes compared to eight interceptions. He completed 64% of his passes.
For the Bucs, Mayfield threw 28 TD passes compared to 10 interceptions, completing 64% of his passes.
Those who like Mayfeld always thought there was a solid starting NFL quarterback inside him. He had some maturity issues. He also battled injuries.
Moving from team to team after Cleveland had to be hard on him, but the tough lessons often are the most valuable. Most QBs don’t bounce back as well as Mayfield.
So, good for Mayfield. He proved a lot of his critics wrong, and probably proved something to himself.
I was watching ESPN and former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum talk about Russell Wilson joining Pittsburgh after being dumped by Denver. He mentioned how Wilson’s new team sets him up to have a “Baker Mayfield-type year,” meaning how Mayfield revived his career in Tampa Bay.
That’s high praise and a tribute to what Mayfield has accomplished.
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