Baker Mayfield’s path to a new deal in Tampa Bay is the kind of NFL journey that keeps changing shape, and the Buccaneers just locked in the latest chapter. Ahead of Week 1, the team agreed to a three-year extension with Mayfield, a move that keeps him in place and stabilizes the league’s most important position for the foreseeable future.
It’s a long way from where this started. Mayfield entered the league as the No. 1 pick in 2018, going to a Browns team that had just become the second in NFL history to finish 0-16. That draft was quarterback-heavy from the jump, with five passers taken in the first round: Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson.
His Cleveland story opened with patience, then turned fast. The Browns chose Tyrod Taylor as the starter during Mayfield’s rookie year, but once Taylor was injured in Week 3, Mayfield stepped in and delivered a 21-17 comeback over the Jets.
That night did more than give him his first NFL win. It snapped Cleveland’s 19-game winless streak on Thursday night in front of a prime-time audience.
Mayfield’s rookie numbers hinted at what the Browns hoped they had found. He threw for 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 touchdowns while going 6-7 as a starter.
The next two seasons brought both progress and frustration. Cleveland went 6-10 in 2019, then jumped to 11-5 in 2020 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
Mayfield helped drive that run, and he was at the center of one of the franchise’s biggest wins in years when the Browns piled up 28 points in the first quarter on the way to a 48-37 victory over the Steelers. Cleveland moved on to the divisional round before falling narrowly to the Chiefs.
The momentum didn’t last. In 2021, Mayfield suffered a partially torn labrum in Week 2 and played through an uneven season.
He threw for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 picks, missed three games, and the Browns finished 8-9. Even in a down year, the record wasn’t enough to save him in Cleveland, especially with concerns over his maturity and play building around the organization.
Fourteen months after that playoff breakthrough, the Browns sent three first-round picks to the Texans for Deshaun Watson and signed him to a record-setting $230 million fully guaranteed deal. Watson arrived facing over 20 sexual misconduct allegations and an eventual suspension, and the message to Mayfield was unmistakable. He asked for a trade soon after.
Cleveland moved him four months later, sending him to the Panthers for a 2024 fifth-round pick. That stop never really took off.
Mayfield beat out Sam Darnold for the starting job, but he went 1-5 before a sprained ankle and a turn as P.J. Walker’s backup pushed him to request his release.
Carolina granted it on Dec. 5.
The next day, the Rams claimed him off waivers while Matthew Stafford dealt with a back injury. Two days later, Mayfield was thrown into the middle of a Thursday night game against the Raiders after Los Angeles benched John Wolford.
He answered with a 17-16 comeback win, then spent the rest of the season with the Rams. The games didn’t mean much for Los Angeles’ playoff chase, but his time with Sean McVay helped restart his career.
Tampa Bay was the next stop, and the fit worked. After Tom Brady retired, the Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a one-year, $4 million deal and let him compete with Kyle Trask for the starting job. He won it.
In his first season with the Buccaneers, Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns, helped Tampa win the NFC South at 9-8, and earned Pro Bowl honors. He also delivered a playoff win, leading the Buccaneers past the Eagles 32-9 before the Lions knocked them out in the divisional round.
That first season earned him more security. Tampa Bay gave him a three-year, $100 million extension, and Mayfield responded with the best year of his career. He threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, completed 71.4% of his passes, and led the Buccaneers back to the playoffs before they lost to the Commanders.
The 2025 season turned sour after a 6-2 start. Injuries piled up across the roster, including Mayfield dealing with a sprained MCL and PCL, a biceps contusion and a shoulder injury. Tampa Bay finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time in Mayfield’s three seasons with the team.
Even with the setback, Mayfield made it clear in June that he wanted a new contract before training camp. Once camp opened in July, he told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Buccaneers had offered him a two year deal, which was “disappointing.” He also said the team had not yet offered him an extension worth $50 million or more per year.
In the end, the sides got there. Five days before the Buccaneers opened the season, they finalized a three-year, $165 million extension worth $55 million per year. The deal keeps Mayfield in Tampa through the 2029 season and takes free agency, as well as the franchise tag next offseason, off the table.
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Browns Suddenly Have A Deshaun Watson Question They Cant Ignore
Deshaun Watsons return from Achilles injuries gave the Browns a long-awaited answer on Sunday, but it also created a fresh layer of uncertainty. In his first game action since the 2024 season, Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards with a touchdown and an interception, though he also took five sacks in a loss to the Jaguars. Cleveland had been waiting to see how he would look physically and how the offense would function with him back under center, and the first outing at least showed the team still has work to do.
Afterward, coach Todd Monken pushed back on the idea that the loss should fall on Watson alone and said the Browns would evaluate everything moving forward. What Monken did not do was give Watson a clear runway to the next game against the Buccaneers, leaving the quarterback situation open for now. For a Browns team trying to stabilize an offense that has already been through so much, that silence may be just as important as the performance itself. [Read more 🡒]
Myles Garrett Update Suddenly Raises A Browns Trade Concern
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For the Browns, the concern is less about Garretts short-term availability in Los Angeles than about what it means for the assets they just acquired. If the Rams feel the effects of losing him on the field, that could ripple into the value of the draft picks Cleveland is counting on, adding another layer of uncertainty to a trade already carrying plenty of long-term significance. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Suddenly Have A Backfield Question Behind Quinshon Judkins
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McLaughlin brings a different look to the offense after spending time with the Denver Broncos, and his smaller frame has not kept him from showing real rushing ability. His style also fits the idea of a complementary piece, which is why his name is now moving to the front of the conversation as Cleveland sorts out the touches behind Judkins. [Read more 🡒]