Baker Mayfield’s 2022 campaign didn’t exactly go as planned, but that doesn’t mean it was all bad. While Mayfield struggled after being traded to the Carolina Panthers, he eventually landed with the Los Angeles Rams as a waiver claim. He led Sean McVay’s club to several memorable wins, including a Week 14 comeback victory over the Las Vegas Raiders and a 51-14 destruction of the Denver Broncos two weeks later.
Mayfield wanted a chance to start in 2023, so he never intended to re-sign with the Rams, who already had Matthew Stafford entrenched as their top quarterback. A one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — with the chance to replace Tom Brady — enticed Mayfield to return to the NFC South.
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Baker Mayfield’s Contract Details and Bonuses
The Buccaneers always intended to add another quarterback to compete with 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask for the team’s starting job. But Mayfield wasn’t the only signal-caller they considered.
Before signing Mayfield, Tampa Bay discussed Drew Lock, whom first-year Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales had coached with the Seattle Seahawks. Lock ultimately re-signed with Seattle on a one-year, $4 million pact.
MORE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay wasn’t the sole club that reached out to Mayfield. As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported at the time, the Baltimore Ravens had an interest in Mayfield as they dealt with ambiguity around Lamar Jackson’s future.
But the connection between Mayfield and the Buccaneers made too much sense. The former No. 1 overall pick inked a fully guaranteed, one-year, $4 million deal with Tampa Bay on the first day of the 2023 free agent period.
Mayfield’s 2023 Cap Charge
Mayfield’s contract is relatively simple, as it only contains a $1.125 million base salary and a $2.875 million roster bonus. However, the Bucs made two tweaks to ensure that he has just a $1.7 million cap charge this season.
First, because Mayfield’s roster bonus is fully guaranteed, Tampa Bay can treat it like a signing bonus, prorating it over the life of the contract and spreading the cap charges over future seasons.
But isn’t Mayfield’s contract for one season? How could the Buccaneers move money to the future once his deal ends in 2023?
Tampa Bay also added four void years to Mayfield’s pact. Technically, he’s under contract through the 2027 campaign. But the 2024-27 are dummy seasons only to allow the Buccaneers to shift money around.
As such, Mayfield’s roster bonus proration for the 2023 season is just $575,000. Assuming Tampa Bay does not re-sign Mayfield next offseason, the rest of his prorated money ($2.3 million) will immediately accelerate onto its cap.
Mayfield’s Career Earnings
Aside from the Arizona Cardinals’ Joshua Dobbs, Mayfield is the NFL‘s lowest-paid quarterback on a veteran contract. But he’s already earned plenty of money during his pro career.
Mayfield secured a four-year deal after being selected by the Browns in the 2018 draft, and Cleveland also picked up his fifth-year option. He eventually agreed to a reduced 2022 salary before being traded to the Panthers.
After this season, Mayfield will have earned $52.407 million in the NFL.