The Tampa Bay Bucs agreed to sign a top player in exchange for a signing bonus of $120 million.
Baker Mayfield’s upcoming contract with Tampa Bay is expected to be very large.
The former quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners played in 2023 on a one-year contract, but according to Spotrac, he will soon get a four-year contract that would put him in the top 15 of the NFL.
The former Oklahoma standout and current quarterback for Tampa Bay, according to contract research firm Spotrac, is expected to receive a sizable contract extension.
Based on industry trends and additional NFL resources, Spotrac projects that Mayfield, who spent this season with the Bucs on a $4 million one-year contract, will sign a $120 million four-year contract that includes a $53 million signing bonus and a total of $85 million that is practically guaranteed.
With a playoff victory this past season with the Bucs, Baker’s comeback has been one of the more entertaining narratives of the past several seasons, according to Spotrac. Baker is being kept off the open markets at the last minute by Tampa Bay.
We’ve projected a contract that uses a double bonus structure to keep cap hits incredibly low over the next two seasons, effectively playing like a cap-adjusted version of Geno Smith’s deal in Seattle.
Mayfield is expected to make $1.25 million in base pay in 2024 and $1.75 million in base pay in 2025.
Additionally, Spotrac anticipates prorated bonuses of $5 million for the upcoming year (with a $6.25 million cap hit) and an additional $5 million plus an option bonus for 2025 (with a $11.75 million cap hit). Next, he anticipates earning a base salary of $32 million in 2026, along with an additional $10 million in bonuses.
By 2027, his base income is expected to reach $35 million, including the $10 million in bonuses. Based on Spotrac’s prediction, his cap hit for the last two years will be $42 million and $45 million, respectively.
The 29-year-old Mayfield was selected by the Cleveland Browns as the first overall choice in 2018 following his victory in the Heisman Trophy game in 2017 and his leadership of the Sooners to two Big 12 Conference titles in a row.
With the Browns, he first agreed to a four-year, $32.7 million contract that included a $21.8 million signing bonus.
In 2022, the Browns dealt him to the Carolina Panthers, who then released him. The Bucs signed him before the 2023 season after his brief but eventful time with the Los Angeles Rams.
Mayfield, who has won two postseason games with the Browns and the Bucs in his career, recently completed his greatest season as a professional, setting career highs with 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Mayfield has passed for 20,332 yards, 130 touchdowns, and 74 interceptions in six NFL seasons. His completion percentage is 61.9 percent, and his efficiency rating is 88.1. He has recorded a passer-efficiency rating of 93 or above in three of his six seasons.
