With only one active quarterback remaining on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster, it was never a matter of if the Buccaneers would sign another QB, but when it would happen. Greg Auman of Fox Sports reported that the Buccaneers and veteran Baker Mayfield agreed to a one-year deal worth $8.5M.
Spending most of his career with the Cleveland Browns, and while the teams never quite reached the heights that many fans were hoping for, Mayfield was one of the most successful quarterbacks in the franchise’s history. Cleveland media is notoriously hard on its athletes, and Mayfield was no exception. The difference with the man who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Browns is that he didn’t bite his tongue. He became a polarizing and outspoken player amongst fans. Some hated him, some loved him – Bucs fans, think about Jameis Winston’s time in Tampa – and with the team’s high expectations, it was only a matter of time before Mayfield was on his way out.
When the Browns made the trade for Deshaun Watson, Mayfield’s trade value was lower than ever, and I was hoping to see the Buccaneers pull the trigger last summer after the Watson trade. However, that never came to be. Mayfield found himself in Carolina, starting six-of-seven games for the Panthers before taking over the starting quarterback role for the Los Angeles Rams after Matthew Stafford went down with a season-ending injury.
We knew that Mayfield would wind up as a free agent in the offseason, but Bruce Arians and Jason Licht both like Mayfield, so trading for him to sit as the backup behind Tom Brady and establish a rapport with his skill position players was an appealing thought. That did not happen; however, Mayfield is now on the Buccaneers roster.
With the Bucs having $13M in cap space and being relatively sure 2022 will be the last with Tom Brady. @RealDannyB considers the Bucs possibly trading with the leverage-less Cleveland Browns to acquire Baker Mayfield and re-sign him. pic.twitter.com/TRHVswBeBo
— Channelside Sports Network (@chsidesports) April 26, 2022
Once training camp begins, Kyle Trask and Mayfield are expected to battle for the starting quarterback role. The Buccaneers will likely add a third option to the mix. Will it come through free agency, a trade, or the NFL Draft?
