The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won three consecutive NFC South Division titles and had arguably the best offseason of any team in the NFL through a series of deft free-agent moves, bringing back their best players from 2023 and hitting a home run with the 2024 NFL draft.
No one benefited from the Bucs’ on-field success last season more than quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw for career highs of 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns in his first year as Tampa Bay’s starter and cashed in with a 3-year, $100 million contract extension in March 2024.
According to The Pewter Report’s Ryan Heckman, that’s still not enough to put Mayfield in the top spot in his NFC South QB Rankings headed into the 2024 season, putting him at No. 2 behind new Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
“Bucs fans will not be happy to see Baker Mayfield take the no. 2 spot, but it’s difficult to put him ahead of Cousins purely based on one season of major success,” Heckman wrote. “Now, if we fast forward halfway through the 2024 campaign, there’s no doubt Baker could find himself sitting atop these rankings. He has plenty to work with at his disposal.”
Mayfield’s Comeback Took Everyone By Surprise
Two years ago, the thought of Mayfield securing a $100 million contract would have seemed like nothing short of a miracle.
Mayfield seemed on track to becoming one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks through his first three seasons after the Browns drafted him No. 1 overall out of Oklahoma in 2018.
After an injury-riddled season for Mayfield in 2021, the Browns traded for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson before the 2022 season and gave him the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history — $230 million — Mayfield requested a trade.
He spent 2022 with two different teams, starting the season with the Carolina Panthers and ending it with the Los Angeles Rams.
Following Tom Brady’s retirement, the Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a 1-year, $4 million contract — essentially a stopgap deal — and ended up with Mayfield making his first Pro Bowl.
Do Falcons Even Think Cousins is No. 1 QB?
Heckman put Cousins in the No. 1 spot after the Falcons signed him to a 4-year, $180 million contract in March 2024 — just six months after he tore his right Achilles tendon against the Green Bay Packers.
Then, the Falcons did something that turned the NFL on its head by selecting University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, creating an instant quarterback controversy out of thin air.
“Finally, it’s hard to argue with placing Kirk Cousins number one on this list,” Heckman wrote. “Even though Mayfield had a career year in 2023, Cousins is far more established and, prior to his season-ending injury last year, he was pacing for another 4,000-plus passing yards and close to 40 passing touchdowns.
“The real question, in Atlanta, is whether the arrival of first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. will influence the play of Cousins. If Kirk struggles, there will undoubtedly be a controversy — and, in no time.”
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