TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made it official on Wednesday, re-signing quarterback Baker Mayfield to a three-year deal worth up to $115 million. $50 million of that is guaranteed.
Mayfield, who originally signed with Tampa Bay as an unrestricted free agent in March 2023, produced a career year in his first season with the Buccaneers, leading the club to a team-record third consecutive NFC South division title, a team-record-tying fourth consecutive playoff appearance, and a Super Wild Card Round victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The sixth-year pro was voted a team captain by his teammates and established career highs in completions, passing yards, passing touchdowns, and completion percentage.
"Losing a job in Cleveland, going to Carolina, having to move to L.A. All those things... you realize mental toughness can take you a long way," Mayfield, 28, said Wednesday. "Trusting yourself, believing in yourself. Having that confidence, trust in God that you have everything you're capable of. You have it all right there available for you. So just go do that and be the best version of yourself. So, for me, this was a good place that has already shown me that I can do that."
“Baker is the ultimate competitor and has demonstrated strong leadership and resilience on the field over his six-year career,” said Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht. “He set the tone for our success last season through his grit and determination and his unwavering commitment to his teammates. Our entire team feeds off the energy and passion that Baker brings, and he will play a key role in continuing to build off the winning culture that has been established here. We are all looking forward to seeing Baker build off last year’s success as we continue our pursuit of winning another Super Bowl.”
One of just nine quarterbacks to start all 17 games during the 2023 season, Mayfield completed 364-of-566 passes (64.3%) for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions, earning a passer rating of 94.6.
Mayfield, who earned his first career Pro Bowl selection for his performance in 2023, was dubbed the Pro Football Writer’s Association’s Most Improved Player, was named a finalist for the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year Award, and was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 15.
This offseason, Mayfield said he would make financial sacrifices to help re-sign other key free agents like receiver Mike Evans, linebacker Lavonte David, and safety Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Baker said he never wanted to compare his deal to any other quarterbacks. He just wants to help the franchise make another run to the Super Bowl.
"Listen, this is life-changing money, and I’m not going to act like otherwise. It’s something that I’ve worked extremely hard for over the years and many years of football. So I’m grateful for it," Mayfield added. "Knowing that we have a chance to bring back some key pieces and make a further run in the playoffs, that’s important to me."
Mayfield finished the 2023 season ranking among league leaders in passing touchdowns (seventh), passing yards (ninth), completions (10th), and passer rating (12th).
He was one of two players to finish the season with 28-or-more passing touchdowns and 10-or-fewer interceptions (also, Dak Prescott) and became the second player in Buccaneers history to throw for 4,000+ yards, 25-or-more touchdowns, and 10-or-fewer interceptions in a single season, joining Tom Brady (2022).
“It’s always great to be able to extend a player and a person of Baker’s caliber,” said Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles. “Baker is the epitome of what we look for in a player: he’s tough, strong-willed, competitive, resilient, and elevates the people around him. He is a thoughtful and genuine teammate who will do anything to help the team win. He was a huge part of our success during the 2023 season, and we look forward to having him continue to lead our offense into the future.”
Mayfield led a Buccaneers offense that saw year-over-year increases in points scored, point differential, turnover margin, passing touchdowns, passer rating, net yards per pass attempt, third-down conversion rate, fourth-down conversion rate, and time of possession.
He guided Tampa Bay to victories in five of the team’s final six games of the regular season, posting the club’s first four-game win streak since the 2021 season.
In the postseason, Mayfield completed 48-of-77 passes (62.3%) for 686 yards and six touchdowns compared to two interceptions for a passer rating of 106.3. His 106.3 passer rating represents the highest postseason mark by a quarterback in franchise history, with his six passing touchdowns ranking second.
He became the first quarterback in team history to record a playoff game with 300+ passing yards and three or more touchdowns, doing so in both postseason matchups.
He originally entered the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.
During his final season at Oklahoma in 2017, Mayfield led the FBS in completion percentage (70.5%) and yards per attempt (11.5) while throwing for 4,627 yards and 43 passing touchdowns. He was subsequently named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, the Manning Award, and was a unanimous first-team All-America selection.
He finished his collegiate career as a three-time All-Big 12 first-team selection and as the first walk-on player to ever win the Heisman Trophy.
Mayfield and his wife, Emily, launched the Baker and Emily Mayfield Foundation in 2023, providing programs, scholarships, and philanthropic opportunities to help others tackle life’s challenges in order to be the best version of themselves. For more information, visit bemayfield.org.
