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TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield’s evolution is far from complete.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise quarterback is coming off the best year of his career, which began with a life-changing contract, continued with the birth of his first daughter and wrapped with personal bests of a 10-7 record, 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns.
But for Mayfield, it’s not enough.
“It’s how I’m intrinsically wired,” Mayfield told The Athletic on Thursday. “Just don’t be satisfied. That’s the part of this game that you love. The second you take it off the gas, they’ll eat you alive. I’ve dealt with that. I’ve dealt with the ups and downs and realized if I don’t try to bring my best stuff to work every day, it’s going to be a failure.
“That’s the point: How good can I get?”
In so many ways, Mayfield has shaken the stigmas that clouded his tenure with the Cleveland Browns, who selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He toiled in the purgatory of the transaction wire, first dangled in a 2022 summer trade with the Carolina Panthers and eventually a series of spot starts during a late-season stint with the Los Angeles Rams.
Mayfield, now 30, became the rare QB who actually proved it after his prove-it deal in 2023 with the Bucs. He graduated to a three-year, $100 million contract in 2024 and quickly outplayed it as one of the league’s most valuable commodities.
In an era when teams have more quickly rewarded quarterbacks with historic paydays, it should only be a matter of time before the Buccaneers bump Mayfield’s deal.
“I love Baker. I love everything he’s done for us,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told The Athletic. “The goal for us is for Baker to continue to be the player that he is, and at some point, we reach an extension when the time is right and he continues to be our quarterback for a long time. That’s the goal.”
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