If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ money isn’t good enough for Baker Mayfield — he turned down a reported 2-year, $100 million contract extension recently — then it’s reasonable to think he’ll be playing elsewhere in 2027.
Mayfield is playing the ultimate “bet on yourself” card this season with the thinking he’ll deliver a season that makes him attractive to teams who need a plug-and-play franchise QB, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox laid out a scenario in which the New York Jets become the team welcoming Mayfield with open arms and a boatload of cash when he eventually leaves Florida.
Knox’s logic behind going to arguably the NFL’s worst-run team is suprisingly sound — not because of the author but because the Jets have been so bad.
“Equipped with three 2027 first-round picks, the New York Jets appear poised to find their next quarterback of the future in next year’s draft,” Knox wrote. “However, the Jets, who haven’t drafted quarterbacks particularly well, should explore every avenue for finding a signal-caller. If New York ends up with one of the first few picks in the draft, it’ll probably become sold on a rookie like Arch Manning or Dante Moore. If the Jets slip out of the top five, however, Mayfield could become a very intriguing option. He’s proven himself to be an above-average starter when healthy, and he’d be a safer option than New York’s third or fourth choice among rookies.
“While the Jets currently have a veteran bridge QB in Geno Smith, Mayfield is younger and possesses much more upside. Adding Mayfield and then using those three first-rounders to further bolster his supporting cast could be a very intriguing option—especially with a solid offensive core already in place.”
Jets Have Young Talent to Build Around
While the Jets will likely be terrible again in 2026, there’s a glimmer of hope they might be better after that and, presumably, after getting rid of current head coach Aaron Glenn.
The Jets made astute picks in 2024 and 2025 with offensive linemen Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou in the 1st round — both considered building blocks for the future.
The 2026 NFL draft brought the Jets 3 1st-round picks who could all follow that pattern with edge rusher David Bailey (No. 2 overall), tight end Kenyon Sadiq (No. 16 overall), and wide receiver Omar Cooper (No. 30 overall).
Still, these are the Jets. They have the longest non-playoff streak out of the 4 North American professional sports leagues at 15 years and have had just 1 winning season in that stretch, in 2015 when they finished 10-6.
Baker Mayfield Coming Off Disastrous 2025 Season
Mayfield came to the Buccaneers on a 1-year, $3 million “prove it” contract in 2023 and was a Pro Bowler in each of his 1st 2 seasons, leading the Buccaneers to consecutive NFC South Division titles.
He also signed a 3-year, $100 million contract before the 2024 season that runs out after the 2026 season.
It also coincidentally comes after both Mayfield and the Buccaneers completely went in the tank in 2025, starting the season 5-1 before stumbling to an 8-9 finish and missing the playoffs for the 1st time since 2019.
Mayfield disclosed a variety of injuries suffered in 2025 while appearing on the Netflix documentary series Quarterback — something neither player nor team admitted to in real time.
“Bucs QB Baker Mayfield, on the Netflix series Quarterback, reveals he played with a sprained MCL and PCL since Week 2,” Tampa Bay Times NFL reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account. “He also had a bad biceps contusion that was bruised and affected his velocity. Then the left shoulder injury vs. Rams. Bonus for toughness but it affected his play.”
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