There are few comparisons in NFL history, if any, to the career arc of Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield has experienced the highest of highs as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns to the lowest of lows,when he was traded to and released by the lowly Carolina Panthers before clawing his way out of an early football grave like The Bride in “Kill Bill: Volume 2” to become an NFL superstar once again.
Now, it’s worth debating if Mayfield has already established himself as a Top 10 NFL quarterback and, if so, whether his 3-year, $100 million contract signed with the Buccaneers in March 2024 could end up representing one of the great bargains in recent NFL history.
Not everyone is convinced Mayfield has reached that level of NFL superiority yet — even after making his first Pro Bowl in 2023 and guiding the Buccaneers to a 2-0 start in 2024.
“Baker’s playing really well,” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said on an episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Sept. 15. “I wouldn’t say he’s a top 12 quarterback, but he’s probably above average right now.”
BAKER MAYFIELD TO CHRIS GODWIN 61 YARD TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!
Establishing NFL Quarterback Hierarchy
The top three quarterbacks in the NFL right now are an unbreakable, inarguable trio led by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and 3-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes, Baltimore Ravens quarterback and 2-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Outside of those three, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is looming around the edges. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is so young and so good he’s impossible to ignore. With those two, it makes a tentative top 5 for NFL quarterbacks.
That’s where the debate really begins. Mayfield finds himself in what seems like an almost-indiscernible group with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
The catch? Aside from Stroud, who was drafted No. 2 overall in 2023 and is still playing on his rookie contract, Mayfield’s overall contract, average annual salary ($33.3 million) and guaranteed money ($50 million) are considerably less than all 10 of the other quarterbacks.
Why is Mayfield Such a Good Deal for Buccaneers?
Mayfield finished 9th in the NFL in passing in 2023 — ahead of over half of the other quarterbacks in the running for a Top 10 spot.
He’s making $129.3 million less in guaranteed money and almost $20 million less in average salary than Hurts, who Mayfield and the Buccaneers defeated in the NFC Wild Card Round following the 2023 season.
“If you turn on the film from Week 1, if we had to name an MVP from Week 1, it was Baker Mayfield,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on Sept. 16. “He looked unbelievable. This was the most decisive player I’ve seen — (the) most decisive Baker Mayfield I’ve seen in his entire career. The ball was coming out so fast, chunk play after chunk play. He was unbelievable in situational football. In the red zone, threw four touchdowns. On third down, made some great plays with his feet.”
