Why The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Could Benefit From A Baker Mayfield Trade

We all know the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set at quarterback heading into the 2022 season.

Following Tom Brady’s announcement that he’ll return for the upcoming season, Tampa Bay is back as a bonafide Super Bowl contender. Shortly after his decision to return, multiple key players such as Chris Godwin, Ryan Jensen, Leonard Fournette and Russell Gage all either re-signed or signed with the Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers’ backup quarterbacks all decided to re-up and join the fray, with Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin back for another season in Tampa Bay. That’s not even mentioning how 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask will also return.

While there is certainly no uncertainty at quarterback for the Buccaneers entering the upcoming season, there is uncertainty after this season.

That’s where Baker Mayfield comes into the fold.

The Buccaneers should absolutely make a play for the former Browns starting quarterback.

As former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum noted recently, Tampa Bay and Mayfield would benefit from having him serve as a backup quarterback to Brady this season.

In this scenario, Mayfield would learn the Buccaneers’ offensive system and be groomed to take over at quarterback in the event Brady retires or leaves Tampa Bay following the 2022 season.

“Let Baker sit for a year and learn as much wisdom from Tom Brady and Byron Leftwich as possible,” Tannenbaum says. “Let him use this season as an investment in his future and take in all the gifts that Tom has to give in terms of professionalism and preparation. This would be very similar to what Mitch Trubisky did this past season with Buffalo.”

Tannenbaum proposes the Buccaneers trade a fourth-round draft pick in exchange for Mayfield.

Brady recently restructured his contract with the Buccaneers to help provide salary cap relief for the franchise. As Ben Volin of The Boston Globe notes, there’s a clause for no franchise/transition tag. It’s essentially a one-year deal worth $19.5 million.

If the Browns are willing to eat a portion of Mayfield’s $18.9 million salary for the 2022 season — arguably the biggest reason why teams have yet to make a play for Mayfield — it’s a no-brainer that the Buccaneers should give up a mid-round draft pick for the embattled quarterback.

The Browns have been searching for a trade partner for their former No. 1 overall draft pick since acquiring Deshaun Watson. The problem is, teams aren’t showing significant interest in making a trade for Mayfield.

Two teams have popped up on the radar as potential destinations for Mayfield, the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers. However, it appears both of those teams are waiting to see how the draft turns out — the Panthers hold the No. 6 pick, while the Seahawks hold the No. 9 pick — before they make a final decision on Mayfield.

With the very likely possibility that the Panthers and Seahawks simply pass on the idea of adding Mayfield until after the draft, the Buccaneers should pounce and add a potential future starting quarterback to the mix.

As much as people like to argue that Mayfield is simply an average quarterback, he has a proven track record of success. Furthermore, he serves as a better short-term option in the event of a sudden Brady retirement or departure than Gabbert, Griffin, or even Trask.

If Mayfield steps into the starting lineup in 2023, the Buccaneers remain the favorites to win the NFC South. If Tampa Bay opts to go with Trask or Gabbert — he hasn’t started a game since 2019 — as their quarterback, there will be nothing but uncertainty.

As odd as the pairing may sound, Mayfield to the Buccaneers makes perfect sense if the Browns are willing to budge on their trade demands.