Why the $100 million deal between Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers was the right one.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield appears to have inked a new three-year, $100 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, following one of his best seasons to date in 2023.

Adam Schefter of ESPN quoted Mayfield as saying, “I wanted a chance to come back.” “I adore the staff and coach [Todd] Bowles. I want to win more games in the postseason, and I’m glad to be here.

Before the start of the previous season, Baker Mayfield’s career was kind of at a crossroads. The previous first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2018 was traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2022, where he appeared in just six games before the Los Angeles Rams acquired him once more in the middle of the season.

Then, in 2023, the Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a one-year contract with the intention of replacing the legendary Tom Brady. Nobody was quite prepared for Mayfield to perform to the level that he did, but he did, and in doing so, he made the switch from him to Brady rather simple.

He guided the Bucs to a 9-8 season in 17 starts, which was actually one win better than the season before under Brady. Not only that, but he also helped the team maintain its division run by winning the NFC South for a record third time in a row and then defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFC Champions from the previous season, 32-9 in their Wild Card game.

With a career-high 28 touchdowns and 4,044 yards passing, Mayfield finished seventh and ninth among quarterbacks in the NFL in the previous season. A career-best 64.3 completion percentage was also attained by him. According to Pro-Football-Reference, his efforts led to him being selected for the Pro Bowl and finishing third in the AP Comeback Player of the Year voting.