“He’ll Never See The Third Year Of This Deal”
March 11th, 2024
It was a celebration of Baker Mayfield this morning on FS1 on the heels of the raucous party last night at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters, though Ira Kaufman did peel away early to watch the Oscars.
Former Bucs Super Bowl receiver Keyshawn Johnson was willing to throw flowers at Mayfield on FS! and say he deserved and earned every penny of the three-year, $100 million deal plus incentives he was handed by the Bucs.
The deal represents $30 million in each of the first two seasons (with 83 percent of that guaranteed), plus $40 million for 2026.
Johnson likes the final third of the contract. “He’ll never see the third year of this deal,” Johnson said of Mayfield.
If Mayfield continues to thrive, Johnson said, the Bucs will tear up the contract after two seasons and extend Mayfield’s Tampa Bay tenure with a hefty raiser. If he stinks, well, he’ll be gone before 2026.
Joe agrees but can’t agree wholeheartedly. Certainly, 2026 could become a last-chance year for Mayfield at that $40 million salary — and for the Todd Bowles regime — if the Bucs stayed around a .500 club through 2024 and 2025.
March 11th, 2024 at 12:30 pm
Whatever Keyshwan says….the opposite will be true
March 11th, 2024 at 12:36 pm
Right he won’t see the third year of that deal because he will be playing under a new much better deal which he will be signing after he claims a Lombardi Trophy in one or BOTH of the next two seasons. I used to like you Keyshawn but you have become more of a dip chit as you have aged.
March 11th, 2024 at 12:45 pm
If a QB they really like falls to them at #26, then likely he won’t see the third year. Lets get through the next two years before we worry about the third year. Baker is our starting QB for the forseable future.
March 11th, 2024 at 12:48 pm
This is hilarious. Wow Key agrees with this….
March 11th, 2024 at 12:52 pm
@pmarcello did you even read the entire article? Keyshawn Johnson said the same thing you did, “Baker Mayfield won’t see the third year of his contract because he will be playing under a new much better deal”
March 11th, 2024 at 12:55 pm
Getting to year 3 will be the ultimate carrot for Baker.
March 11th, 2024 at 12:57 pm
Jack Clark.
Yeah your right my bad. I reacted befrore I finished the dtory. But Keyshawn can still a dip chit ,
March 11th, 2024 at 12:57 pm
Hodad Says:
March 11th, 2024 at 12:45 pm
If a QB they really like falls to them at #26, then likely he won’t see the third year.
I guess that’s as good a time as any for Haters to next get their wishes and dreams crushed.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:00 pm
Great signing. Awesome terms. Good price. Way to go!
March 11th, 2024 at 1:00 pm
I’m starting to get curious about whether they pick up Trask’s option or not
March 11th, 2024 at 1:05 pm
1st round center.
2nd round LG (who played LG in college)
3rd round: biggest baddest most bruising RB in the draft.
4th round: FS
5th round: freaky fast CB with potential
6th round: LG/C to push our top picks.
7th round: Tall and fast WR/ kick off returner
Keep Devin at punt returner.
But get a bigger guy to return kick offs.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:05 pm
Beeej Says:
March 11th, 2024 at 1:00 pm
I’m starting to get curious about whether they pick up Trask’s option or not
———
Trask was a 2nd round pick, you get a 4-year deal with no options. Only first rounders get the 5th year option.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:06 pm
Wish the Bucs had signed him to a 5 year deal.
He will only get more expensive.
But at least we have 2 years in the book.
Now how about we give him some weapons
Lets improve that last place run game and TE production.
A viable run game, and a TE that can catch- would him immensely.
And improving that lousy 29th ranked pass defense couldnt hurt either
March 11th, 2024 at 1:06 pm
Keyshawn is correct, if Baker is any good they’ll extend him – and if he stinks, they’ll cut him.
This was really a 2-year deal, not a 3-year deal.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:09 pm
Keyshawn with a rare W
March 11th, 2024 at 1:11 pm
It was a deal well made by all parties. As the cap increases, we can increase the salaries of our best players. Our franchise is historically bad at selecting and developing a franchise quarterback. We do however assemble the right talent to plug and play the correct journeyman signal caller for success every other decade. Hoping we cash in early this cycle.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:11 pm
You hit the issue right on target Todd Bowles regime given time he will drive this team down doesn’t matter whos the QB. Staying at .500 is going to be a struggle.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:13 pm
If he’s still our QB after ’25, then there’s no doubt he’ll get a big 5 year deal
March 11th, 2024 at 1:15 pm
The Bucs are in the perfect position with Baker’s new contract. If he sh!ts the bed he will be cut after next season and the Bucs are only on the hook for $20M of dead cap space.
If he plays well the Bucs will be getting a steal of a deal…
March 11th, 2024 at 1:18 pm
It’s a 3 year deal if they want to keep him. They’ll extend after year 3. No team pays more until they have to.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:19 pm
The dead cap space will go up when they rework the contract to add more cap next year also.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:27 pm
HE’LL NEVER SEE THE 2ND YEAR OF THIS DEAL
March 11th, 2024 at 1:32 pm
If you watch that amoral abomination that worships a golden idol, then you are a class F moron.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:33 pm
I really hope Baker can keep up his production, but it is something that hasn’t happened yet. The Browns, as a team, came apart around him, but he didn’t do them any favors either.
I do think Trask will take another step forward this season; I just wonder if Baker has another step in him. Last season had a lot of improvisation in it, not really good QB play.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:45 pm
CAN’T BOTH SIDES WIN?
I like the deal for all parties. Bucs have flexibility based upon performance. Baker gets paid and can keep getting paid if he performs.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:54 pm
I just saw OverTheCap has Mayfields contract details…
2024 – $1.125m base salary, $9,625m signing bonus, $10.75m cap hit
2025 – $30m base salary, $9.625m signing bonus, $39.625m cap hit
2026 – $40m base salary, $9.625m signing bonus, $49.625m cap hit
The Dead money / Cap savings numbers look like this:
2024 – $40m / (-$29m)
2025 – $29.2m / $10.3m
2026 – $9m / $40m
March 11th, 2024 at 1:57 pm
Meshawn hates the Bucs.
March 11th, 2024 at 1:59 pm
I like teacher man’s draft, big uglies early and often.
March 11th, 2024 at 2:03 pm
On a different note – I haven’t heard anyone talking about Russell Gage. Are the Bucs cutting him – or keeping him? If he’s healthy, they should absolutely keep him as you’re not going to get much cap help if you cut him – and if he’s actually healthy, he’s still one of the best 3rd WRs in the NFL. If he was back and healthy that would be a massive upgrade – and he can step in and spot start if needed and not hurt you.
March 11th, 2024 at 2:08 pm
Yep !
I said that yesterday
Too easy to see
March 11th, 2024 at 2:10 pm
It’s a beautiful contract. And I agree it’ll likely be torn up after year 2 depending on how he plays but it’s great for us because of the flexibility and great for Baker because of the guaranteed money ($50M) for 2 years.
if for whatever reason he isn’t the long term guy, we can pivot to the draft or another in 1-2 years with minimal cap penalties (nothing like Denver & Wilson for example). If he IS the long term guy then we have a great below-market contract for his services for another 2 years while trying to build a championship caliber roster
March 11th, 2024 at 2:25 pm
“Trask To The Future Says:
March 11th, 2024 at 1:27 pm
HE’LL NEVER SEE THE 2ND YEAR OF THIS DEAL”
Kyle Trask will never see meaningful time on an NFL field…
March 11th, 2024 at 2:29 pm
They need to trade Trask this season while they can still get something from him. Otherwise, he’ll walk out the door next season and we get nothing.
March 11th, 2024 at 2:35 pm
Tha falcons just signed cousins for 4 years ……………😒
March 11th, 2024 at 2:38 pm
Ugh… the Falcons just became the favorites in the NFC South.
March 11th, 2024 at 2:48 pm
Munch, Atlanta QB will still need receivers to throw to.
March 11th, 2024 at 2:54 pm
“Bucs 95 Says:
March 11th, 2024 at 2:35 pm
Tha falcons just signed cousins for 4 years ……………”
Depending on the $, that’s not gonna age well. A 36 yo qb, who wasn’t that mobile to begin with, coming off an achilles tear? Yeah…
March 11th, 2024 at 3:00 pm
Geno – They have Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
That’s quite the trio.
I know people want to dump on Pitts, but he’s had complete trash throwing him the ball – and if you look at Cousins history, he uses his TE’s a lot. He is going to get a ton of traffic.
Also Drake London looked quite good, even with garbage QBs. And Robinson, being able to catch and run, should have a giant year.
They have talent there, they’ve just had no one at QB for a long time – they’re going to be a very very tough team to play.
March 11th, 2024 at 3:03 pm
Hope you are correct. NFL.com did rate Cousins as their number 1 free agent. If you can read defenses and spin the ball pretty well, a 5 percent loss of mobility might not be a big deal for a QB.
March 11th, 2024 at 3:06 pm
Fair enough. I tend to rate guys on what they have done in the pro’s not college.
So, I understand that all those guys were fairly early first round picks.
But in my mind, what they have done in the pro’s shows that is a less than average offense (those three guys plus their number 2 receiver).
I hope, I am right, and you are wrong on the assessment of the NFL skill and talent on those three players.
March 11th, 2024 at 3:10 pm
So Bake got his deal! If you figure in last season with the new 3 year deal where do the numbers come out at??? Would it be 4 years at $106.8 mill making it 26.7 a year for the four years? Prolly messing the math up and without the incentives but that sound very reasonable indeed….
March 11th, 2024 at 3:21 pm
geno711 – I’m going not only on their draft position, but production from what I’ve seen. The QB situation in Atlanta was so bad, it was hard to take a lot away from watching them, but to my eye, they still look like they’re going to be good players.
London last year had 905 yards in 16 games, again with awful QB play in a run first offense, he’ll easily be over 1000 yards next year, probably closer to 1300 than 1000.
Pitts already has a 1000 yard season, and even last year, when people think he struggled, he had nearly 700 yards – and he didn’t look healthy early in the year. I think he’s a guy that will also be over 1000 yards.
Then Bijan Robinson, splitting carries, still had almost 1000 yards at 4.6 per carry, and nearly 1500 total yards as a rookie. I think he’s going to also have a monster season.
I will agree at WR they have no depth and will have to sign someone, but man, that is going to be a good team if they get good QB play.
With that said, I hope I’m wrong and you’re right.
March 11th, 2024 at 3:34 pm
Bucs trying to make room for a F.A. D-lineman . Carlton Davis on the trade block . Go get Jackson Powers Johnson or Graham Barton. Give Baker a run game and the offense will explode. Baker had a run game in Cleveland and played pretty good. He is a much better QB now than he was then . He still needs to work on his feet . They get a little happy at times . Coaching staff needs to implement pass blocking schemes to open passing lanes too. Much more likely to get a very good O-linman at 26th than a very good D-lineman . Not saying it doesn’t happen but odds are not good ..
As always
GO BUCS!!!
March 11th, 2024 at 3:58 pm
I think with the Falcons we just have to hope Raheem reverts to his coaching of the Bucs. What a roller coaster!
March 11th, 2024 at 4:33 pm
KeyKlown should never have seen the 1st year of any deal
March 11th, 2024 at 5:04 pm
Baker had a very decent year but only made the playoffs because the rest of the division was a little worse. The Bucs were simply not dominate in a a very weak division and they were far from dominate outside their division. The big harah was winning a first round playoff game and hanging tough most of the second round game. Over the season Baker and the Bucs had a few great games, some so so games, and stunk up the field in too many games. That’s the reality. I admire Baker’s toughness and effort. But the playoff games hid the stink of a mediocre regular season. The Bucs need to play solid all season long next year before I see them as contenders. A barely winning record in the regular season followed by two well played post season games was a HUGE and pleasant surprise. But they will have to improve across the board to repeat or improve next year. So yes I think Baker deserved to be paid but the whole team needs to improve a lot next year to be considered true contenders.
March 11th, 2024 at 5:35 pm
My take. Everybody points to this bad rushing attack.
It was bad. But truthfully, our O Line coaches that were here had a history of not being that good at run blocking but superior offensive line coaches for teaching guys and implementing superior pass blocking skills.
Personally, if I had to have one or the other, I want the guys that continue to succeed in pass blocking.
It will be interesting to see, if with our more run centric OL coaches this year that by the end of the year, we don’t see some decline in our passing efficiency even if we are running the ball better.
March 11th, 2024 at 5:54 pm
He will see the 3rd. year because QB contracts continue to soar. Kirk never won nothing Cousins just signed a 4 year 180 mil contract with the Falcons. Baker seems like a steal at this point.
March 11th, 2024 at 6:10 pm
The first 2 years are guaranteed for 50m. There are also 5m per year incentives icomn the deal. If Baker gets us to the playoffs each year, he’ll become a Buc for the remainder of his life.
March 11th, 2024 at 7:02 pm
See I told you Carlton Davis was out of here .