The Baker Mayfield contract talks are just starting to heat up, and we are not even into July yet. Mayfield has one year left on his deal and said that his side and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are nowhere close to getting a contract done as things currently stand. This has led to plenty of media debate, both on the side of Mayfield and on the side of the Bucs.
NFL Film Analyst Brett Kollmann argued for Mayfield, saying that he ranks 16th in Average Annual Value and that Mayfield is clearly a top 16 quarterback, and thus should be paid more.
However, Benjamin Solak of ESPN quickly shot back in defense of the Bucs, unveiling a quarterback ranking he did prior to the discussion that showed Mayfield as the 21st-best quarterback. Solak contends that while Mayfield can play up to his contract in spurts, he is in a wide group of quarterbacks that can perform up-and-down based on the factors around him.
Media Debate Gives Fans a Peek Behind Closed Doors with Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The two are essentially debating in public what the Bucs representatives and the Mayfield representatives are debating behind closed doors. Mayfield is a quality quarterback, which is why the Bucs have gone 27-24 with two playoff appearances over his three-year run in Tampa Bay.
However, they are now 1-2 in the playoffs; they missed the playoffs last year, and the offense has slowly regressed in recent years.
Mayfield is good enough to win with, and a lot of teams would pay for the stability. He is close to an average or above-average quarterback in most scenarios, which is why Kollmann is defending him.
However, average to slightly above-average does not win big playoff games much. Beyond that, there is a large tier of quarterbacks who meet that qualification, which is what Solak is contending. Maybe you have Mayfield 14th, and maybe you have him 24th, but that tier is the same group of players. They are good, but not quite good enough.
So, Mayfield could be underpaid, but paying Mayfield might not be what gives a team looking to take a step into being contenders what they want.
Finding the Price to Pay for Mayfield is Hard for the Bucs
The other fact is that Mayfield is making $33M per year on average, and the next highest paid quarterback is Aaron Rodgers, who is making $22M per year. After Rodgers, it is Malik Willis at the same salary, and then it gets into rookie quarterbacks and backups like Kirk Cousins at $11 per year.
So, there is a massive tier break in salary right after Mayfield. Rodgers and Willis are viewed as stop gaps and fringe starters, which is why they are not making more. However, if you have a veteran and view them as the unquestioned starter, he is going to make more than Mayfield.
The debate is far less about how much Mayfield should make yearly and far more about whether Mayfield is worth anything based on where the Bucs want to be. If Mayfield is going to make that salary to be the type of quarterback he is, would swinging on a new rookie be the better cost-effective play?
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