Buccaneers Sign QB Baker Mayfield

March 15, 12:31 pm ET

Los Angeles Rams QB Baker Mayfield

Photo: USA Today Sports Images

NFL Offseason - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield to a one-year, deal worth up to $8.5 million, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a 2024 conditional fourth-round pick. Mayfield finished 1-5 in six starts with the Panthers before suffering a high ankle sprain, which eventually led to him permanently losing the starting role to P.J. Walker.

After requesting to be released, Mayfield signed with the Los Angeles Rams, winning his first start in a comeback Thursday Night Football victory to the Las Vegas Raiders. He would go on to lose his next three starts. Mayfield finished the 2022 season 32nd in DVOA and DYAR out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks.

Mayfield joins Tampa Bay as their second rostered quarterback, alongside 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask. Trask appeared in one game for the Buccaneers in 2022, going 3-for-9 for 23 yards.

Comments

10 comments, Last at 17 Mar 2023, 4:05am

#1 by BigRichie // Mar 15, 2023 - 1:12pm

Tweet says "up to" $8.5mil.

So the devil is in the details regarding this move's wisdom. If the guarantee is way under that, I can sign on to this.

#8 by herewegobrowni… // Mar 16, 2023 - 5:25pm

Reports are that his Paragraph 5 is 4mil.

Slight corrections in article:

-Technically (for one 3-and-out,) John Wolford started the W vs. the Raiders. Baker was still "1-4 as a starter" with a Christmas W vs. Denver after those 3 Ls.

-"one year, deal" in first paragraph is a comma error.

#2 by theslothook // Mar 15, 2023 - 1:19pm

What is Baker Mayfield at this point? He's had an extremely weird career.

#3 by Aaron Brooks G… // Mar 15, 2023 - 1:30pm

Veteran backup / stopgap starters / placeholder for unready rookie.

Not dissimilar from Darnold and Minshew, really.

#4 by Chuckc // Mar 15, 2023 - 1:57pm

I think he's higher quality than those two. Give him this year to get the Browns stink off him for good and I think he can be a low to mid-tier starter.

#5 by ImNewAroundThe… // Mar 15, 2023 - 2:17pm

EXACTLY what the Bucs need...to be bounced and miss out on top QBs again!

#6 by KnotMe // Mar 15, 2023 - 2:29pm

Basicly, he's a high draft pick and is under 30, so people still feel he's fixable. At this point the Bucs are just waiting to draft a QB so they just want lotto tickets and maybe one works. Baker makes as much sense as anything else at this point. He was sorta competent with the Rams last year so....depending on the money, this seems reasonable chance to take.

#9 by herewegobrowni… // Mar 16, 2023 - 5:33pm

Didn't he already "have a year to get the Browns stink off him" and it ended up being the worst year of his career?

#7 by BJR // Mar 15, 2023 - 3:06pm

I remained hopeful, but last season is tough to look past. He was outperformed by Sam Darnold and even PJ Walker in Carolina. Meanwhile Cleveland looked just fine with Jacoby Brissett. About all you could say on the positive is that he wasn't awful for the Rams when thrown in to start with zero practice time.

Expecting him to be anything more than a below average starter is wishful thinking at this stage. Still, no real downside for the Bucs here, and allows them to approach the draft without a gaping hole at QB.