Baker Mayfield is staying put in Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers and the former Oklahoma star have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $165 million, keeping him from reaching free agency next offseason and giving him a second deal with the team. Mayfield had been entering the final year of the three-year, $100 million contract he previously signed with the Bucs.
Mayfield’s path to this point has taken him across the league. The Browns made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and after several seasons in Cleveland - including the run that delivered the franchise’s first playoff win in more than 20 years - he was traded to the Panthers after an injury hurt his effectiveness in 2021.
His time in Carolina was brief. Mayfield played seven games there before being released, then caught on with Sean McVay and the Rams. In Los Angeles, he started four games and helped engineer an improbable comeback victory.
The move to Tampa Bay in 2023 changed everything. Signed as the heir to the retiring Tom Brady, Mayfield won the starting job in training camp that summer and has not let it go. Over the last three seasons, he has started all 17 games, averaged 4,000 passing yards per season and 31.7 touchdowns.
The results have followed. Mayfield has earned two Pro Bowl selections and helped the Buccaneers reach the playoffs in 2023 and 2024. Now he’ll keep building his career in the place that has become his NFL home.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Faces One Big O-Line Concern Going Into Michigan
Oklahomas offensive line left the season opener with more questions than answers, even before the Sooners got a full read on how the group will hold up against a far stiffer test. Starter Jake Maikkula and Ryan Fodje were already sidelined, and Michael Fasusi left early with a shoulder injury, forcing the staff to piece together protection on the fly while the offense worked through the game.
There is at least some optimism going into Week 2, with Maikkula and Fodje expected back for Michigan. Fasusi is the name to watch, though, because his status is still uncertain and that leaves one important spot in limbo as Oklahoma prepares for a defense that will make any weakness up front hard to hide. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle sounded confident the unit can adjust, but the Sooners would clearly prefer to arrive in Ann Arbor with the line closer to full strength. [Read more 🡒]
Brent Venables Defends What Makes Oklahoma Different From Everyone Else
Scheduling elite nonconference games has become part of the Oklahoma identity, and Brent Venables made it clear he does not see that as a coincidence. With the Sooners fresh off a matchup with Michigan, the head coach pointed to the value of opening the season against top programs, saying those games help prepare his team while also giving recruits a clear picture of the standard in Norman.
Venables also acknowledged the college football landscape could eventually make those kinds of matchups less common if playoff structures change. Even so, he framed them as a differentiator for Oklahoma, one of the few programs willing to test itself early against the sports best and live with the results because of what it means long term. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas New Portal Defenders Could Spark A Real 2026 Debate
Oklahoma kept working the transfer portal for defense, and the latest wave of additions has a distinctly future-facing feel. The Sooners brought in defensive tackles Danny Saili and Braxton Fely, linebacker Jaydon Southard and cornerback DYoni Hill, all players who could become part of the conversation for the 2026 roster as the staff keeps building out depth and competition on that side of the ball.
What makes the group more intriguing is the timing. Because of a temporary restraining order, the four newcomers are eligible to play in 2026, giving Oklahoma a chance to evaluate how their previous experience translates once they arrive in Norman. For a defense that always has spots to win and roles to settle, these are the kinds of portal moves that can quietly shape a depth chart long before the season actually gets here. [Read more 🡒]