It’s not probably what Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans want to hear this time of year, but in order for 2025 to be considered a success they don’t need to make it to the Super Bowl. It’s just not a “championship or bust” kind of season.
Maybe a more fitting slogan would be “playoffs or bust” as the Buccaneers try to win a fourth consecutive NFC South Division title and make the postseason for the sixth consecutive season.
If that doesn’t happen, things could get kind of weird in Tampa Bay. That might include a roster overhaul and a re-evaluation of how their future with quarterback Baker Mayfield.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano predicts the Buccaneers might even consider drafting a quarterback in the first round if Mayfield and his team come up short
“The Bucs miss the playoffs and are one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL,” Graziano wrote on August 20. “They end up with a high enough draft pick to make them rethink their commitment to Mayfield.”
Flipside: Mayfield Gets Super Duper Paid
The Buccaneers signaled their intentions for Mayfield for at least the next 2 seasons by making a move to fully guarantee the remainder of the 3-year, $100 million contract he signed before the 2024 season.
“Buccaneers have reworked QB Baker Mayfield’s contract to give him $30M guaranteed in 2026 — a year that previously had no guarantees, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on July 28. “The length of the contract remains the same, but Mayfield now has financial security heading into next season, which is the final year of his deal.”
Mayfield signed a 1-year, $4 million contract with Tampa Bay in March 2023 following Tom Brady’s second retirement and has played the best football of his career over the last 2 seasons, including his first 2 Pro Bowl selections and consecutive NFC South Division titles.
Mayfield’s new deal adds an extra $30 million in guaranteed money for 2026. If he plays well in 2025 — say he has another Pro Bowl season and the Buccaneers make the playoffs again — there’s a much different scenario in play.
Were that to happen, it seems like a good possibility the Buccaneers would just make a move to sign Mayfield to a long term extension that would make him one of the NFL’s highest paid quarterbacks. That would be something in the range of $50 million to $60 million annually.
Mayfield’s Ascent Is True NFL Comeback Story
Mayfield began his career with the Cleveland Browns, where he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft and the full time starter from 2018 to 2021.
The Browns traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers in 2022 and replaced him with Deshaun Watson, but Mayfield was released at the midway point of the season and finished the year with the Los Angeles Rams.
ESPN put Mayfield in its Top 10 preseason QB rankings in July.
“The former No. 1 pick is emblematic of the NFL’s capacity for career resurgences at the game’s most important position, setting the blueprint for near busts to one day reach $100 million,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “When Mayfield signed a modest one-year deal with Tampa in 2023 and led the Bucs to the playoffs, it was a nice storyline about a former No. 1 pick regaining his footing. When he did it twice and his performance improved, that’s proof of concept. Only (Josh) Allen and (Lamar) Jackson have more touchdowns over the past two seasons than Mayfield’s 73.”
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