Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield gets $180 million contract update after bridge-years growth

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren't entirely sure that Baker Mayfield was the super long-term answer.

He first got a one-year prove-it contract from the Bucs. Then, he got a three-year deal worth $100 million, a strong deal but not an immense one.

Now, Mayfield is lining up for his biggest contract yet from Tampa Bay.

NFL.com's Anthony Holzman-Escarano writes that Mayfield is due for a payday sooner rather than later.

"After bouncing from the Panthers to the Rams in 2022, the former No. 1 overall draft pick latched on with the Bucs on a one-year, $4 million deal in 2023," Holzman-Escarano writes. "He proceeded to throw 28 TD passes against 10 picks while leading Tampa Bay to an NFC South title, then inked a three-year, $100 million bridge contract to stay in town. And then he seriously leveled up, totaling 41 scoring tosses (behind only Joe Burrow's 43) while securing a second division title in 2024. With two seasons left on his contract, Mayfield is close to earning another longer-term deal soon. The Baker bank-account glow-up is about to be real."

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A look at quarterback salaries around the league doesn't give a perfectly logical value for Mayfield, but there's one number that stands out.

The Atlanta Falcons gave Kirk Cousins a four-year, $180 million contract coming off a torn Achilles and half a decade older than Mayfield will be when he gets his extension.

You figure Mayfield has to shoot to break that $180 million mark, and maybe could go for a smooth and easy $200 million, at least.

If he has a big 2025 season, he might raise his price up into the Jared Goff $212 million ballpark.

It's a good time to be Baker Mayfield.

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