Baker Mayfield’s new contract put him near the top of the NFL’s salary ladder, but it did not push him anywhere close to the top of the quarterback rankings.
That split is the story as the season opens. Mayfield’s three-year, $165 million extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved him into the $55 million-per-year club, a group topped only by Patrick Mahomes at $64 million and Dak Prescott at $60 million. But when it comes to how quarterbacks are being stacked up heading into Week 1, Mayfield is still sitting in the middle of the pack.
Nick Shook of NFL.com ranked all 32 starting quarterbacks for the opening Sunday of the regular season and placed Mayfield as the highest-rated passer in Tier 3, 14th overall.
Shook noted that the third tier is filled with quarterbacks dealing with injury questions, including Brock Purdy, Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, and Daniel Jones. Mayfield fits that theme after a season in which he played through multiple issues of his own.
He did not miss a game in 2025, but he was clearly not operating at full strength. The Netflix docuseries Quarterback showed just how far removed he was from 100 percent over the course of the year.
The rest of Tampa Bay’s offense was hit hard as well. Four of the team’s five starting offensive linemen missed at least five games.
Running back Bucky Irving missed seven. And Mayfield’s top three receivers from 2024 - Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., and Jalen McMillan - all lost significant time.
That left Mayfield trying to stay on the field for the Bucs no matter what, even as the injuries took a toll on his play.
"Injuries unfortunately hampered a significant portion of this group. Baker Mayfield played through multiple ailments and saw his performance suffer."
The upside, though, is obvious if he can stay healthy. Shook’s ranking suggests Mayfield has the talent and enough help around him this season to push into the top 10.
And these lists are hardly permanent. Shook pointed out that quarterback rankings will shift from week to week as the season goes on, which means Mayfield could climb fast if Tampa Bay gets the version of him it believes it paid for.
That debate around Mayfield has been going for months, especially while his contract talks with the Buccaneers dragged on. The general view was that he sat just outside the top 10 at the position, making the size of his new deal a major talking point.
Now the money matches the market at the top end of the league. The pressure is on Mayfield to make sure his ranking follows.
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